


Stumble into My Heart

by luzbian



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Autistic Amity Blight, Ed and Em are good siblings, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, Luz Noceda has ADHD, Luz is a dork, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also second kiss and maybe more, amity has undiagnosed autism in this, amity is also a dork, amity realizing her sexuality, boscha doesn't know how to flirt and it shows, boscha gets her ass handed to her, eventually, rated teen because of some possible language and implied parental abuse, they actually kiss a lot, two dorks in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 67,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26492998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luzbian/pseuds/luzbian
Summary: Amity Blight has managed to convince her parents to let her attend a public high school. She has no friends and only her siblings in an unfamiliar school with three times the number of students as her last one. It's a lot for her to handle.Then she meets Luz, a quirky girl who is even more alone than she is.
Relationships: Amity Blight & Edric Blight & Emira Blight, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 577
Kudos: 1743





	1. A New Start but Amity has Anxiety

**Author's Note:**

> hewwo! I'm no stranger to fanfiction as I have a different account with some on here but this account is separate as the other is all BL. which is funny because I'm a lesbian, but I guess this is the first sapphic pairing that really spoke to me. I may be projecting my high school self/experience on amity a little but I don't think it makes her ooc. tags will update as the story progresses and story updates will be on a completely random schedule. this is my first semester in college where I'm not living at home, so I'm a bit stressed as you can imagine. writing and art (I may include a few drawings in chapters here and there, we'll see) is a coping mechanism for my stress/anxiety and I don't want to ruin that. but please tell me if you like this and want more! I love reading comments people leave even if I don't reply, I'm an awkward human with bad social skills

“Hey Mittens, it’s time to go!” Edric yells from the front door.

“Unless you want to have no time to find all your classrooms again,” Emira joins in next to him.

Amity rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry for wanting to be prepared,” she says in a huff as she pushes her way past her siblings and out of the house. 

“It’s only a public high school, not a maze! And besides, every freshman gets lost at some point their first day. The teachers won’t mind if you’re late because you lost your way.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to get lost or be late,” she retorts back, tugging on the car’s door handle. “Emira, unlock the car!”

When she finally gets in the back seat, she tosses her backpack to the side and sighs. She wishes she could’ve taken the public school bus, but there was no way her parents would let her take that alone. And there’s no way they’d trust Ed and Em to stay out of trouble on one of those.

A snapping finger jolts her out of her thoughts. “For the last time, I really don’t appreciate you doing that,” she says.

“Amity, are you nervous?”

Her slight irritation slips away at the use of her real name. She briefly meets their eyes and can see genuine concern. She lets her gaze slip away. “Maybe a little.”

“Aw, it’s okay, Amity,” Edric twists his body so he can see her from the front seat. “Public school really isn’t that bad. It’s nowhere near as rigorous as your middle school was and you’re a great student anyways, you’ll be fine.”

Amity opens and closes her mouth a few times, unsure how she should respond. “That’s not the part I’m worried about,” she says in a small voice, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“Are you afraid you won’t make any friends?”

She purses her lips together and focuses her gaze from her lap to outside the window, watching trees and buildings zip by. Amity had decided she was done with her old group of friends, the ones her parents made her associate with. They were mean, and she was sick of it. The only way to cut them out was to convince her parents to let her attend the same public high school as her brother and sister, which they somehow agreed to under the guise of “it will be good for you to learn how to associate with the ‘common folk’.”

Ed and Em had gotten into trouble at the prestigious high school very shortly into their first semester, so as to not tarnish the family name, they sent them off to public school, something none of them had been to since fourth grade. They fit in right away; they’re both social butterflies. But as for her? Not so much.

She’s more on the introverted side and prefers to be alone with a book. She even has her own mini library at home. And she’s ever only had one real friend before, one she hasn’t been close to in a while. She’s socially awkward and doesn’t know how to talk to people.

A hand being waved in front of her face snaps her out of her trance. “Wh-”

“We’re here,” Emira tells her, getting out of the car.

Amity gulps. She was so lost in thought she didn’t have time to mentally prepare. She’s not ready for this.

Her siblings notice.

Emira opens the door and bends down so she's near Amity’s eye level. “Hey, it’s okay, Do you want us to walk in with you?”

Amity closes her eyes and takes a few steady breaths. She nods, releasing her skirt from the death grip it was in. Emira helps her out while Edric gets her backpack from the other side of the car and hands it to her. They walk into the school, one twin on each side of her.

When they reach her locker, she turns to look at them. “Thank you,” she says, making sure to hold eye contact. They both smile.

Edric places a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid to message us if you need anything, alright? We’re here for you. I will not hesitate to walk out of class if you’re in trouble.”

She gives a small smile in return. Her siblings might tease her a lot, but she knows they really do care for her. “I think I’ll be okay now,” she tells them.

“Alright, see ya!”

“Later Mittens!”

Amity waves to them as they walk away from her.

Now she’s alone.

With a deep breath, she taps her cheeks three times to pull herself together. “Come on, you’ve been to school before. You’ll be okay. Even if you don’t make any friends, you’re used to being alone. It won’t be that bad. You can do this.” Now, what was her locker combination, again? 12-21-26, that’s right. L, u, and z.

She can do this.

But the second she turns around, someone runs into her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to explain the title: luz is clumsy. luz is a dork. luz can be dumb. amity loves that about her. I also get stuck titling things. I'm also pretty bad at talking to people. but my twitter is @amitylovemail I mostly just scream about amity being a canon lesbian and I also have a reddit that I may share later


	2. The Girl who Ran into Her is a Dork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity makes a friend, somehow. In a rather unexpected way, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited to tweak some of the formatting and while I'm at it Hooty is going to sing Little Miss Perfect what world are we living in

Amity falls backwards with a yelp, the cold tile floor burning into the heels of her hands as they meet the ground. Her assailant falls with a “bwah!” sound and seems just as surprised as she is.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” A girl with short black hair looks at her. Is her hair black? No, it’s just one of those really dark shades of brown. Correction: a girl with short dark brown hair looks at her. Not sure how she mistook that for black in the first place.

Usually, Amity would snap at whoever ran into her. But she was done with that, she wanted to change. “Y-yeah, I’m okay,” Amity replies.

The girl stands up and offers a hand. “Here, let me help you up.”

Amity hesitates for a moment before tentatively reaching out and taking it. Her hand is warm, but Amity lets go as soon as she’s back on her feet, putting her hands on the straps of her backpack

“I’m Luz, by the way. Luz Noceda.” The girl speaks up suddenly. “I’m really sorry your first impression of me was getting run into before the first day of school even started. And that’s one of the better first impressions I’ve given someone.”

Amity lets out a small smile. “I’m Amity. And don’t worry, I didn’t get hurt.” She glances at the book the girl is holding. “It looks like your book did, though.”

Luz feels the corner of the back cover that got bent. “Oh no! Azura, I’m sorry!”

Azura? “Is that book by chance-”

“The Great Witch Azura?” They say in unison.

The girl’s eyes light up and Amity blushes a little. “You know this series? No one at my last school liked it.”

“Yeah, I do. I, uh,” she turns to the side to show a charm on her backpack. “Made this a while ago.”

“You made this?” Luz says with a squeal. “It’s so good!” She’s quiet for a moment. “Hey, Amity, do you want to be friends?”

“Huh?”

She slaps her hand onto her forehead. “Of course you don’t, we met just a minute ago. When I knocked you over because I was too busy reading. I’m sorry, I’ll ju-”

“No! I mean, yes. Yes,” she looks Luz in the eye shyly. “I want to be friends. If you want to.” If she wants to? She literally just asked you, you moron, she tells herself.

Next thing she knows, the book falls onto the ground and both her hands are being held by Luz’s. They’re a bit bigger than hers, and still very warm. The milk chocolate eyes looking into hers are beaming, matched with a huge smile. “Great! Do you have your schedule on you? We should see if we have any classes together.”

It turns out they do, second period honors biology, third period art, fifth period lunch, sixth period English honors, and eighth period gym.

“Well, seems like you would’ve met me anyways,” Luz laughs. “Five classes together out of eight is a lot. Lucky you! Or lucky me, seeing as you’re willing to put up with the girl who nearly ran you over and then immediately asked to be friends.”

Amity smiles, about to reply when the bell for passing period rings. Music fills the halls and students around them begin moving to their respective classrooms.

“Well, I’ll see you next period then. Bye, Amity!” She waves goodbye as she heads off, narrowly dodging several students.

She gives a small wave back, smiling. “Bye, Luz.”

~~~

She didn’t have time to walk through all her classes again, but her conversation with Luz set her nerves at ease. Especially since she now knows there will be someone she knows in over half her classes. She can get by three alone.

Sitting in a seat in the front of her classroom and with a couple minutes until the bell rings again, she pulls out her phone.

_**[Amity]: I made a friend**  
[Ed]: before first period starts?  
[Ed]: was it a teacher?  
[Em]: shut up ed  
**[Amity]: it was a girl my age, thanks for having faith in me**  
[Em]: im proud of you mittens!  
[Em]: even if ed here isnt  
[Ed]: howd you meet her  
**[Amity]: she ran into me because she was too caught up in her book**  
[Ed]: how romantic  
[Em]: you found your soulmate ;)  
[Ed]: ;)  
[Em]: ;)))  
[Ed]: ;) ;) ;))))  
**[Amity]: oh my god you two are insufferable** _

Luckily for her, the bell rings, signaling the start of class. She slips her phone back into her bag and switches her mindset into study mode.

First days are always slow, the teachers go over the syllabus, explain their expectations for class, and sometimes do one of those “get to know each other” games. Amity always hated those. Thankfully, her math teacher decides to skip that part.

Class goes by quickly, and it’s time for the next one. Amity doesn’t bother checking her phone; she just knows her siblings are teasing her through text. She does find herself excited for class though, which while not unusual, still puzzled her. She likes school because it’s an escape from her parents. But she doesn’t get excited unless she knows they’re covering something in class that interests her.

Then it hits her. She’s excited to have a class with a friend, something she hasn’t felt since elementary school. Since before…

“Amity!”

She jumps upon hearing her name. She didn't realize she had stopped outside the biology classroom’s door.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” Luz comes up next to her. “I know I can be a little much at times. I’ll try harder to turn that down a notch.”

“Oh, no no, it wasn’t that,” Amity says, putting her hands in front of her. “I was just lost in thought. Let’s go find somewhere to sit in class before all the open seats that are next to each other are taken.”

“Aawww, you want to sit next to me?” Luz clasps her hands together and tilts her head.

Amity feels her blood run cold. Did she mess up? Was she not supposed to assume that? “I-isn’t that what friends do? 

Luz seems surprised at her reaction. “Of course that’s what they do. Aw man, I scared you again. Good job Luz, scaring your one and only friend.”

“Your only-”

Before she can continue, Luz grabs her hand and pulls her into the classroom, stopping at two vacant seats in the back. “You okay with sitting in the back? I don’t like sitting in the front for...reasons.”

Amity nods and takes the seat she’s closest to. Class begins before they can talk again, and the teacher gives them a few minutes at the end to talk.

When she turns to look at Luz, the girl is leaning out of her chair to peer at the folder in Amity’s hands. It can’t be comfortable, as these desks are the ones with a connected chair.

“Did you draw that too?” Amity looks down at her folder and realizes she has the one where she drew herself as Azura. She quickly tries to hide it in her bag when Luz laughs.

“I did the same thing,” she says with a bashful grin. Sure enough, she’s holding up her own folder with a drawing of her in Azura’s outfit, complete with the staff. The word “Luzura” is spread out in all capitals on the top.

Amity can’t help it. She laughs, a bit louder than she intended to. She covers her mouth when several nearby students stop to look at her, only speaking when they look away. “And here I thought I was going to be too awkward to make any friends.”

Luz’s confusion turns into a smile. “I thought I was going to be too weird to make any friends. My last class sure thought so.”

Still giggling, she grabs her phone and opens a new entry in her contacts. “Here, you can put your number in my phone.”

The girl pauses just before she grabs it, pulling back to bring hers out. They swap phones, putting each other in their contacts. When Amity gets hers back, she can see that Luz put her name down as Luzura, with a sparkle emoji. 

What a dork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter is @amitylovemail I need some people to talk about TOH with


	3. Amity Gets to Bond With the Dork While Her Siblings are, Well, Her Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity has fun talking to Luz, her siblings notice and decide to help. Kind of. They try to, at least,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooty singing little miss perfect is keeping me awake

The school day flies by quickly, Luz talking to Amity any time she got a free moment, and texted her during the classes they didn’t have together. They’re sitting on the bleachers in the gym, having already put away their gym clothes and claiming a locker.

“I’m sorry, they did what?” Luz asks in disbelief.

“They took fish from a nearby pond and tried to turn one of the bathtubs into an aquarium. Then one of the fish died and the smell led to them being discovered.”

Luz chokes back laughter. “I tried doing the same thing when I was six, but I couldn’t carry the bucket full of lake water. Curse these weak nerd arms!” she says, flailing her arms in front of her.

Amity laughs, running a hand through her hair. Well, the best she can with it being half tied up. “If only my siblings weren’t such bad influences, you’d love them.”

Luz gasps, placing a hand on her chest. “Are you implying that I, someone who also attempted to make a bathtub aquarium, a bad influence as well?” She puts her other hand on her forehead. “I’ve been betrayed!”

When Amity falls silent, Luz opens an eye and peers over to her side. Her face is white and it almost looks as if she’s about to cry. Did she not do a good job at faking her hurt?

“Amity, I’m joking, I swear!” She grabs her hands. “I took it too far.”

Letting out an unsteady breath, Amity shakes her head. “No, it’s just...I, uh,” she debates telling her. About one of her flaws, one that made her feel so disconnected from everyone all her life. She forces herself to look Luz in the eye. “I have trouble reading facial expressions sometimes. A lot of the time, actually. It’ll take me a bit to get used to yours.” Amity mentally prepares for Luz to belittle her about it.

Instead, she’s surprised by Luz gently squeezing her hands. “If you’re ever confused, just ask me, okay?” Amity just blinks. “You...you don’t think it’s weird?”

Luz tilts her head to the side. “Why would I? We all have our little quirks. I struggle to pay attention like everyone else does, so my mom had me put on medication to help me focus. Would you say that’s weird?”

“No, of course not! That’s just how your brain is wired, you can’t control that.”

“Exactly!” Luz says with a smile. “Just like you. So don’t be so ashamed about it, okay?” She looks at Luz with so much care in her eyes that Amity can’t help but smile back.

“Okay.”

The bell rings, causing Luz to let go of her hands. Amity immediately misses the warmth they gave her. She stands up, putting her backpack on. “Do you take the bus home, or do your siblings drive you?”

“They drive me,” Amity replies, putting her own backpack on. “Somehow, the one thing they’re responsible with is driving a car. Guess even they know how dangerous it is to be irresponsible with one.” A thought crosses her mind. “Do you want to meet them?”

Luz answers immediately. “Yes!”

“Are you sure? They can be a handful.”

“Yes.”

“I warned you, Luz.”

~~~

“So this is the girl who tried to kill you earlier,” Emira says, inspecting Luz. “I gotta say though, she’s pretty cute.”

“You chose a good one, Mittens.” Edric says in approval, nodding his head. “Even with the attempted murder.”

“Quit bothering her!” Amity puts herself between her siblings and Luz. “And she didn’t try to kill me, she simply bumped into me. That’s a far cry from attempted murder, Edric.”

“Hey, why did you single me out? Em was the one who brought up murder first!”

“Because what you said was creepier,” Amity says as she put her hands on her hips.

“Wow, someone is protective of her catch,” Emira snickers.

Amity is about ready to tackle her sister in the middle of the hallway when she hears Luz laugh from behind her. “I’m sorry, I just never got to experience what it’s like having siblings. This is fun.”

Emira and Edric share a glance. “So, girl that Mittens didn’t bother to properly introduce to us, what’s your name?”

“Luz. Luz Noceda”

“Even her name is cute!” Emira walks behind them and puts one hand over Amity’s shoulder, the other over Luz’s. “So, Luz, do you want us to give you a ride home? I’m sure Mittens would love to get to spend a little more time with you.”

“Are you sure?” Luz asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah!” Edric replies. “We have plenty of room in the car, and we want to get to know you more too. You seem fun.”

“Well, if you insist, I guess I can’t refuse. To the car!” She takes a few steps before turning around. “Uh, which way is the student parking lot?”

~~~

“Y'all strapped in?” Edric asks from the driver's seat.

“Did you just say ‘y’all,’ Edric?”

“Are you strapped in or not, Mittens. I’m not turning this car on until everyone is.”

Amity sighs. “Yeah, I’m strapped in.”

“I am too,” Luz pipes up from the side.

“Great! Now, uh, where do you live? I think I need to know that to get to your house.”

“37th Owl Street, I think. In Boiling Isles,”

“Oh, that town with the funky name.” Emira twists so she can look at the two in the back seat. “Are you from here?”

“No,” Luz shakes her head. “I moved here a couple weeks ago, from by the coast. Experiencing winter will be fun.”

Emira rests her chin on the back of the seat. “How’d you like it so far?”

“It’s nice! Though it’s weird not seeing palm trees everywhere.” She puts a hand on the window. “I haven’t really gotten a chance to explore yet, with being so busy unpacking at home.”

“Hey, maybe Mittens can show you around sometime. It’ll be a little date,” Edric calls out from the front.

“Edric, I met her only eight hours ago!” Amity hisses.

Luz claps her hands together, looking excitedly at Amity. “Ooh, that’d be fun! A town adventure with a friend!”

“Speaking of friends, did you know Amity was afraid she wouldn’t make any?” Emira says with a smirk.

Amity blushes, embarrassed. “Emira! You didn’t have to tell her that!”

“What? Now that you ditched your old friends, you don’t have any left.”

“They were bullies, I was better off without them.” She crosses her arms and looks out the window.

“Now you get this little cutie as a friend, Mittens,” Emira sings, pointing at Luz. Amity turns to see Luz blushing.

“Knock it off, you’re embarrassing her.” Amity rubs her forehead and sighs.

“S-so, Emira, Edric, are either of you dating anyone?” Luz asks, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“Nah, it’s too early in the school year for me to start thinking about that,” Edric replies.

Emira, however, remains silent. That’s suspicious.

“Oh my god, Emira has a secret boyfriend,” Amity says in disbelief.

Emira’s face turns red. “I do not!”

Edric snickers besides her. “You’re clearly hiding something though, Em. Tell us, who is this lucky fellow?”

“None of your business, that’s what it is!” Emira huffs. “Just wait until you get a crush, Edric, I’ll make your life a living hell.” She turns to Amity. “But as for you, precious baby sister, I’ll help you out for a bit, since you’ve never had one. And then I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“Oh boy, I can’t wait,” Amity says in a mocking tone.

“You’ve never had a crush before, Amity?” Luz seems shocked.

Amity shrugged. “I was in a private school meant for rich kids the last four years. Everyone there was a jerk, can you blame me for not falling for anyone?” She checks her nails. The polish on her pinky finger got chipped at some point during the day.

“Lucky for you, high school is a great time to explore your sexuality! Maybe you’re asexual. Or aromantic. Or both. Or you just haven’t had a crush yet,” Luz drums her fingers on her leg, thinking. “Oh! You could always join the school’s LGBT club if you’re curious. Clubs don’t start until next week, though.”

Amity ponders for a moment. In all honesty, she hadn’t really ever given her sexuality much of a thought. She never had a reason to. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try, if it fits into my schedule,” she finally says after a moment. Luz seems happy that she liked her idea.

“Hey Luz, which one of these houses is yours?” Edric asks.

Luz jumps. “We’re here already?” She looks out the front window. “That one, on the right.”

The car pulls into the driveway and Edric parks it. “Is your Mom home?”

The girl shakes her head. “No, she has work until the evening.”

As she begins to open the car door, Amity speaks up. “Won’t you be lonely, all alone?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m used to it.” Luz waves her hand to show she doesn’t mind it. “Thanks for giving me a ride home, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Luz, wait!” Amity shouts after her, louder than intended.

Luz turns around, tilting her head to the side again. Amity scratches her cheek. “I, uh, I know we just met this morning, but is it okay if I, well-”

“Wait, are you asking if you can come over?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

Luz squeals and runs back to the car. “Really!? 

Amity twiddles her fingers. “If your mom won’t mind, that is. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Are you kidding?” Luz is bouncing on her toes. “She would be ecstatic! Come on, let’s go inside so I can show you around!” Amity watches as her hand is grabbed and she’s pulled out of the car. She reaches back in to get her backpack when she sees the twins smirking at her.

“What’s that look for?” Amity grabs her bag and gets out with a huff. 

“Nothing, just text us when you wanna be picked up. Have fun, Mittens! Bye, Luz!” the two call out from the car.

Well, this isn’t how she thought her afternoon would go. She watches as the car pulls out of the driveway and disappears down the street.

“Amity!” Luz shouts from the front door. She seems really excited, still bouncing on her toes as she waits for Amity to join her. Like a puppy who was told they were going on a walk.

Amity smiles. This morning she nearly had a mental breakdown over starting school and here she is now, at a friend’s house. Today is going much better than she thought it would. “I’m coming, Luz.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, this chapter ended up being twice as long as I meant for it to be since I felt it was too short so I added in that car scene. and then decided hey, amity gets to have a playdate. which will be the next chapter and after that I'll make things go a little faster. amity will start being a gay disaster soon enough, just you wait


	4. Adventures in the House of Luz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity has fun at Luz's house and the twins are the twins again. Luz also cries a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well somehow this chapter became 3.8k words so there's a treat for all of you and it's also 5:30 am and I haven't slept yet

Luz’s house is small, but awfully cozy. Every corner is filled with something in a way that makes the house feel full, but not cluttered. Luz slips off her shoes and drops her backpack off on the couch a few feet away. “Do you want a snack or something to drink?” she hears Luz call out from another room.

“No, thank you. I’m good,” Amity replies, busy staring at everything around her. She knows Luz said they moved in just a few weeks ago, but the house feels as if it’s been lived in for years. _Quite different from my house,_ she thinks, when something on the wall catches her eye. They’re photos of Luz and what she assumes is her mom.

There’s dozens of photos, ranging from school pictures to candid shots of Luz reading. She’s smiling in all the photos she’s facing the camera for, but a lot of them seem forced. And Amity knows what a forced smile looks like, even if emotions are hard for her to read.

“Amity?” She peels her eyes away from the pictures. “I called your name a few times, what are you looking at?” Luz walks around the corner, cup in hand, and sees the wall. “Oh, the photos! My mom loves taking pictures of me and having them hung up. I’m the only family she has left, after all.”

Amity opens her mouth to say something, but Luz grabs her hand. “C’mon, let’s go to my room!” They go up a flight of stairs, up to the attic. The door at the top has been decorated with drawings and a nameplate, all seemingly hand drawn. Luz opens the door and presents her room with flourish.

“Ta da! What’d ya think of my room?” Luz asks, arms spread wide. 

It’s...very Luz. Posters of Azura among other shows cover most of the wall, along with tons of drawings. There’s a bookshelf overflowing with books, a desk covered in art supplies, and a twin sized bed up against the far corner. She also notices a window seat, decorated with pillows and a string of fairy lights. “It’s adorable,” Amity tells her, without really thinking about what she’s saying.

Her words only catch up to her mind when she sees Luz blush. “I-I mean, I really like it! It feels warm and cozy. Very you,” she stutters out. “I mean it. Your room has so much personality.”

Luz seems proud of herself. “So, what do you wanna do? You don’t have any homework, right?” When Amity shakes her head, Luz ponders for a moment. “Well, we could draw, or do a dramatic reading of a The Good Witch Azura book, or play a game. Or we could play outside, but it’s kinda hot today.”

“Drawing sounds fun.”

“Really?” Luz claps her hands together. “Alright, we can do that in the kitchen. My desk is a little too small for both of us to use.” She grabs a box and based off the noise it makes when it moves, Amity assumes there are coloring supplies in there.

They go down to the kitchen, where Luz sets the box down on the table. She hops over to a cabinet where she pulls out two drawing pads and places them on top of the box. “There! You can have first picks, since you’re the guest.” She bows, as if she were a butler. ”Though both drawing pads are the exact same, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

Amity laughs. “I’ll take this one, I suppose. Thank you.” She takes a seat. Luz pops back up with a smile, taking the remaining pad and opening the box.

“Anything you wanna use in particular? I have marks and crayons and colored pencils in here. Oh, and normal pencils and those fancy pens just for line art.” Several smaller boxes are placed around them. “You can just take whatever you wanna use.”

Luz goes straight to crayon while Amity goes for a pencil. They spend a minute or so in near silence with only the sound of medium against paper. Amity glances over in the kitchen, a room she hadn’t seen yet. On the fridge there’s a drawing that Luz seems to have made for her mom for mother’s day. Judging from the fact it reads “Happy Mother's Day, Mom!” in bubble letters across the top, at least.

She’s clearly close to her mother. That’s something Amity can’t relate to. “Hey Luz, what’s your mom like?” she asks, glancing over sideways to see Luz’s reaction.

She smiles, eyes not lifting from the paper. “Oh, she’s great! She’s from the Dominican Republic and moved up here with her family when she was little. She’s a nurse now and has to work a lot, but she always makes sure she has time for me.”

“She sounds nice,” Amity replies. “Wish I could say the same for mine.”

She doesn’t realize the true weight of her words until she feels a hand on her shoulder. Luz is looking at her, concerned. “I know we’re teenagers and all teenagers go through phases where they hate the parents but just in case that isn’t the case here, is everything alright at your home? Should I be worried?”

“It’s okay, I promise.” Amity puts her hand over Luz’s. “There’s no abuse or anything going on, so there’s nothing to worry about. My mom just...isn’t as warm as yours, that’s all.”

Luz’s eyes narrow, as if she doesn’t quite believe her. After a moment, she perks back up. “I got it! My mom can be your surrogate mom!”

“My what?”

“She’ll give you the motherly love you don’t get from home”

“Are you sure she’ll be alright with that?” Amity asks tentatively.

“Well, I’d have to ask her first and she’d have to meet you, but I’m sure she’d love to. I never bring friends over.”

Amity gives a soft smile. “If she’s alright with it, then I’m alright with it. I have my siblings for support but they’re not much older and you saw how they were earlier, so a parental figure would be nice.”

“I, for one, think your brother and sister are great. Though I’m not the one that lives with them, so I guess I can’t really speak.”

“You’re not wrong but you also aren’t right.” Amity fumbles through the box of pens. “I know they do care about me, but they tease me more often than I’d like. There was one time, when I was in elementary school, a couple kids were picking on me at the park because I couldn’t go the length of the monkey bars without falling.” She begins outlining her sketch. “So Emira and Edric tackled them to the ground and wouldn’t let them go until they apologized to me. That was the first time I remember seeing them so angry.”

“Look at you, with your own personal bodyguards! Did they get in trouble for that?”

“This happened at school during recess, but due to certain...circumstances, the school let them off with a warning. My mom was furious that they’d acted violently, so they got grounded for a few days.” _She was also furious I didn’t stand up for myself, so I got grounded as well,_ she thinks to herself. _Luz already suspects something going on at my house, no need to add more fuel to the fire._

“Well, if _I_ was your mom, I would’ve rewarded them. You can’t always silence bullies without using force.”

“You couldn’t possibly have been my mom, we’re the same age. And the twins are older than you anyways.”

“Hey!” Luz fakes an offended gasp. “One of us has to be older than the other!” She goes silent for a moment before speaking up in a quieter voice. “When’s your birthday?”

“December.”

“Aargh, you’re older than me!” Luz throws her head back with her hands on her face. “I was born in March.”

“Aargh? What are you, a pirate?” Amity asks while choking back laughter.

“I’ll have ye walk the plank fer sayin’ that, miss Amity! Be careful who ye speak back to!” her friend proudly retorts back in a god awful pirate impression. Amity can’t hold it in any longer: she bursts out laughing.

Luz does the same, their laughter filling up the house. When they finally calm down and catch their breath, Amity is wiping tears from her eyes “I didn’t know I could laugh that hard.”

“And I didn’t know I could make anyone laugh that hard. Maybe I should be a pirate for Halloween this year and go around trick or treating with a pirate accent.”

Amity covers her mouth with her hands to hold the laughter in. “Oh my god please stop if I laugh again I think I’m going to throw up.”

“Okay, okay,” Luz says, giggling. “Do you want something to drink now? There’s no way you’re not thirsty after laughing that much.”

“Yes please. What do you have?”

Luz hops out of her chair and opens the fridge. “We have water, milk, and several types of juice.”

“Hmm...I guess I’ll take whatever juice you think tastes the best,” she says as she glances over at Luz and then the colored pencils.

“One mystery juice, coming right up!” the girl calls out as if she were a barista. Amity listens to the noise Luz is making with a smile. It’s lively and overall just pleasant on the ears, even if it’s simply humming and the typical sounds that follow when pouring a drink. So is the sound of colored pencil on paper, which is why she opted for these. That, and they blend better than the other supplies Luz has.

“Here you are ma’am! One mystery juice. Oh, I forgot to ask if you wanted ice. Do you want ice?” Luz hovers the cup a few inches above the table.

“No ice is fine, thank you.” She takes the cup from Luz and takes a sip. “Wow, this is really good! Is this…” she peers into the cup. “Mango?”

“Bingo!” the other girl says with finger guns and a wink. “That’s what I got earlier, it’s really sweet.” She looks around the table and furrows her brow when she can’t find what she’s looking for. “Did I leave my cup upstairs again?”

Amity starts to get out of her seat. “Oh, I can get it for y-”

Luz pushes her back down. “No, you’re the guest. You stay right here and enjoy your mango juice, I’ll be back in just a moment.” Seconds after she leaves to head upstairs, Amity hears a thud, followed by Luz shouting “I’m okay!”

Taking another sip of the juice, Amity smiles. She hasn’t been to a friend’s house in quite a while, and much longer than quite a while if you exclude the girls she associated herself with during middle school. Even without excluding them, she hasn’t had this much fun in a very long time.

All the students from her two previous schools were from rich, upper class families. And Amity, being from a rather prominent rich, upper class family, was well known there. Everyone was fake or just plain rude around her. Luz, however, seems like her genuine self. No costumes, no masks, no facades, just plain, unfiltered Luz.

And Amity likes that. She purposefully hadn’t told her her last name in the hallway earlier, as an attempt to separate herself from her family name. There was no need to act like the perfect girl her parents forced her to be, when she knows she’s anything but. No need to hide her dorky interests, either.

A buzz from her phone interrupts her thoughts

_[Edric]: hey mittens :)  
[Emira]: hows your playdate going?  
**[Amity]: it’s not a playdate**  
[Emira]: youre rite my bad  
[Emira]: hows your date going ;)  
**Amity]: oh  
[Amity]: my  
[Amity]: god**  
[Edric]: (;  
**[Amity]: my playdate is going well, thank you very much  
[Amity]: she gave me mango juice  
[Amity]: it’s really good**  
[Emira]: im gonna add that to the shopping list then  
[Edric]: em yur getting of f topic heree  
[Emira]: edric for the love of god please turn autocorrect on  
[Edric]: why dont you amke me?/  
[Emira]: brb mittens  
[Edric]: wait waht are y_

****

****

Just then, Luz finally returns from upstairs. Her hair looks like it’s been through a tornado, but she found her missing cup. “I’m back! Sorry that took so long, I kept knocking stuff over. Amity’s phone buzzes again and she groans. “Your siblings?”

“Of course. They seem to have something to tell me but they’re too busy teasing me to get to the point.”

_[Emira]: im in possession of edrics phone now so im totally gonna mess with his keyboard shortcuts  
[Emira]: but we wanted to ask if your friend luz wants us to bring her to school tomorrow_

“Oh, would you look at that, they got to the point.” She turns to Luz, who is attempting to fix her hair with one hand while drinking with the other. “Emira wants to know if you’d like us to bring you to school tomorrow.

She nearly chokes. “They do? Yes! God yes, I hate taking the bus home. My mom will just have to meet them first, which would have to be tonight because she leaves for work before I leave for school.”

**_[Amity]: she said yes but you have to meet her mom first and honestly I don’t blame her for that  
]Amity]: that’d be when you pick me up later she won’t be here tomorrow morning_**

“Hey Luz, how do you spell your name? I just realized I don't know because you put ‘Lazura’ down for your contact. And when is your bus supposed to pick you up?”

“Ah! L-U-Z. It means light in Spanish. You done with your juice?” She takes both cups when Amity nods. “Oh, and my bus gets me at 7:08.”

**_Amity: Luz says her bus picks her up at 7:08 but she’s on the way to school so we can leave at the same time_**

“Well, my brother and sister don’t seem to want to reply anymore, but we should get here around 7:10 tomorrow and to school by 7:25. Is that okay with you?” Luz gives a thumbs up from the kitchen.

When Luz is done cleaning the cups, she comes back to the table, looking at her drawing. “Hm, this is missing something, but what…” She taps a finger on her cheek. “Ah, that’s right! Spider breath!”

Amity blinks a few times. “Sorry, can you repeat that? I thought I heard you say ‘spider breath’ but that can’t possibly be right.” The drawing is shoved in her face. “Spider breath! It’s anatomically correct for griffons.”

“I don’t think I want to know how that works, as interesting as it sounds. But,” she nervously tucks some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I drew this for you.”

“-ve it.” Luz says something next to her. “I love it,” she says again, her voice wavering. _Wait, is she crying?_

Now it’s Amity’s turn to place a hand on her shoulder. “Luz, what’s wrong?”

She sniffs. “Nothing, I’m just really happy you drew this for me. The kids at my old school would make fun of me for drawing myself as a protagonist of a fantasy series.” Amity hands her a tissue from a box that happened to be on the table. She takes it and wipes her eyes, then gives Amity a hug. “Thanks, Amity.”

The gesture takes Amity completely by surprise. The hug and the voice that accompanies it are very soft and she can feel the loneliness in them. She’s not one to give much physical affection to others, even her family, but before she knows it she’s already returned the hug. Luz doesn’t let go for a while, and Amity is perfectly okay with that.

She’s actually a little sad when Luz breaks the hug. “Sorry about that. Do you still want to draw?” Amity can tell in her eyes that she’s still sad.

“I’d actually like to do a dramatic reading of a The Good Witch Azura book. Or a fanfic, if you have any you really like.” 

That brings the light back to Luz’s eyes. “You read fanfiction too? For the series in general or for a specific ship?”

Amity smiles seeing Luz happy again. “I don’t know about you, but I find the one with Azura and Hecate rather interesting lately. Especially since the last book, with them becoming friends.”

~~~

“‘Hecate! Are you alright?’ Azura asked as she rushed to her side. ‘I lost sight of you as the serpent was chasing me-’”

The front door opening cuts off their little performance. “My mom is home!” Luz exclaims, setting the book down on the nearest surface and rushes down the stairs. Amity follows, half hiding out of view.

“Mija! How was your first day?” A slightly taller woman in glasses and shrubs is hugging Luz.

“It was great, mami! I have a surprise for you, hold on!” Luz pulls Amity out of her hiding spot. “I made a friend!”

Amity freezes on the spot, looking everywhere but Luz’s mom. “Uh, hi,” she finally says, waving her hand a little. Ms. Noceda comes up to her and puts her hands on her shoulders. It takes her a moment before she speaks.

“A friend! And she’s real, too! Luz, I’m so proud of you.” she ruffles her daughter’s hair.

“Her name is Amity, and we have five out of eight classes together. Isn’t that great?”

“Yes, it is! Amity, would you like to stay for dinner tonight?”

“Uh, I appreciate the offer, but my family is expecting me back soon. I’ll stay another day though, if that’s alright.”

“Not a problem, Amity. Do you need a ride home?”

She shakes her head. “No, thank you. My siblings already offered to come get me. I just have to let them know to pick me up.”

**_[Amity]: hey Luz’s mom is home can you come pick me up soon_** _  
[Emira]: give us 20 im busy destroying our dumbass brother in mario kart_

“They say they’ll be here in twenty minutes.” 

“In that case, feel free to take a seat somewhere. I’m going to go change out of my work clothes, it should only take a few minutes.”

Amity sits down on the couch, placing her backpack on the ground beside her. Luz seems to have noticed she was a little overwhelmed, because she comes up and sits next to her.

“Sorry, I should have asked how you wanted to be introduced. Are you alright?” She puts her chin in her hand.

“Yes, I’m alright. Your mom seems nice.”

Luz smiles proudly. “Isn’t she? You’re the first real human friend I’ve brought over in a very, very long time, so she was very surprised to see you. I’m sorry if she came off as a little much.”

“Really, Luz, it’s alright. It’s nothing worse than getting rammed into like this morning.”

“Oh my god, we’re going to have to tell her we met because I ran into you while reading,” Luz laughs. 

Amity giggles. “Wait until you tell her you almost immediately asked me if I wanted to be your friend.”

“God, don’t remind me of how awful I am at communicating with people. It’s an absolute miracle you didn’t just say ‘ew, no’ and walk off.”

“One of my old friends totally would’ve done that. For lack of a better word, she was a bitch.”

“Miss Amity, you’re only fourteen! You better watch your language or I am going to have to report you to the principal, young lady!”

The sudden strict teacher impression makes Amity laugh hard again. Neither girl notices Ms. Noceda walk back into the room, and it isn’t until she speaks that they do.

“It seems you two get along very well. I’m glad my daughter was able to meet someone who appreciates her sense of humor.” Amity blushes, not sure how to respond. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I know it can be scary meeting a new friend’s parent.”

“Actually, Ms. Noceda, my siblings and I were wondering if it would be alright to pick Luz up and bring her to school tomorrow. They’re juniors at the same school.”

“If you include them, I made three friends today!” Luz chimes in.

Ms. Noceda smiles. “I suppose that’s alright with me. It’s a second way to make sure Luz here wakes up in time, too.”

“Hey! I don’t oversleep that much.”

“You still haven’t adjusted to this timezone change yet, mija.”

“Okay, you have a point there. Can’t argue with reasonable.”

Amity’s phone buzzes.

_[Edric]: goddess says to tell you we’re almost there  
[Edric]: wait why does it say goddess  
[Edric]: I typed in goddess  
[Edric]: goddess  
[Edric]: dammit what did she do to my phone  
[Edric]: sorry mittens but we’re almost there_

“Sorry to interrupt, but my siblings are almost here if you’d like to meet them. They’re a bit rambunctious, but very trustworthy when it comes to safely driving a car.” As if on cue, a car pulls up alongside the curb outside. Luz lets the twins inside.

“Your house is very cute, Luz,” Emira says as she makes her way over to her mom. “I’m Emira, it’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Noceda.” She shakes her hand and then gestures behind her. “That one is Edric, who is mad that I messed with his phone earlier.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Emira and Edric. How come you want to drive my daughter to school, if I may ask?”

“She's very cute and we like her sense of humor,” Emira replies.

“That and Mittens couldn’t stop gushing about her to us!” Edric says from the back of the room.

“Edric!” Amity feels her face start to turn red. Don’t use my nickname around people you just met!”

“But you were fine with us using it after school around Luz today? A girl we had just met?” Emira snickers.

“Ugh!” She stands up and slings her backpack over her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she turns to Luz and her mom. “Thanks for letting me stay over today. I’ll see you tomorrow, Luz. Bye!”

“Mittens, aren’t you going to put your shoes on?”

“I’ll do it in the car, I refuse to allow you to embarrass me any further.”

“Bye Luz!” The twins call out as they exit the house.

On the sidewalk, Amity can hear a little of the conversation Lus is having inside with her mom.

“How’d you meet her, mija?”

“Funny story…”

Amity smiles to herself as she gets into the car.

“Whatcha smiling about there?”

“None of your business!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this so far! from the next chapter it'll time skip a little, unless I change my mind halfway though a chapter. like this one, my initial intent was not to make luz cry but I think it's a good little bonding scene.
> 
> and as for when their birthdays are: based off of amity's penstagram name in the show I assume her birthday is either 1/28 or 12/8 unless I'm told otherwise and I'm making luz's 3/4 so it's also a pun she can use to mess with people. march forth.


	5. Luz and Amity Run a Mile and Unknowingly Flirt with Each Other the Entire Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity has to join a sport and Luz helps her decide which one. 
> 
> And if you don't low key flirt with your friends are you really even friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I attempted to show the characters speaking through notes at the beginning but because I dunno how to change fonts or if that's even possible so when amity is writing it's a ~ and luz is a -

_-What’s the matter, Amity? :(_

She is so lost in thought that she doesn’t notice Luz slide a note over to her until it’s right in front of her face. Not literally, but it appeared where there was a photo of a lizard in the textbook she was staring at. Glancing up at the teacher to make sure she was too busy with her powerpoint to care if she was passing notes, Amity jots down a reply and places it over on Luz’s desk.

_~I’m fine though?_

Luz sends her a look and passes the note back a few seconds later. 

_-Liar! I can tell something is wrong._ There’s a drawing of an angry Luz to the side.

_~What, do you have a secret Amity sense now?_

She hears a choked back giggle from her left. 

_-If you don’t want to tell me what’s bothering you, just say so. But I’m here to listen if you need it!_

_~Well, you were going to find out eventually, but my parents are making me join a sport. That’s a condition of being able to attend this school, apparently._

_-Did you play any at your old schools?_

_~Yeah, I was on the rugby team. I was team captain for a while, too. But this school doesn’t offer that._

_-Oh my god Amity you’re a jock._

_~Luz._

_-Sorry, sorry! It just took me by surprise. You just seem far too...soft to be one._

_~Care to elaborate on that?_

_-I mean personality wise! You seem so sweet I just thought you were a nerd. And your kind of goth wardrobe doesn’t scream “jock” to me either._

_~Is it bad that I enjoy the color black?_

_-Not at all! I think it’s cute, especially today’s outfit. But isn’t soccer like rugby? They both have a ball that I think you kick but I don’t watch sports so I don’t know._

_~Soccer limits how much force you get to use so I don’t like it. Basketball has too small of a court and softball is boring. You just spend half the game waiting for your turn to bat._

_-Remind me to never get on your bad side because I would totally lose in a fight with you. What about lacrosse?_

_~There’s no girl’s team for that. I guess that leaves me with track and field? I don’t know how well I can run though._

_-We’re doing the mile run during gym today! We can find out then! There are a ton of events for track too, right? I’m sure you’ll find one you’re good at._

_~I better be good or I’m screwed._

~~~

Luz nearly tackles Amity outside of the girls locker room. “You ready to crush this mile run?”

“The bigger question is if you are, Luz.”

She gives an exaggerated gasp. “How dare you assume I haven’t prepared myself for this! You assumed right though, I’m terrified.”

Amity opens her locker and begins changing into her gym clothes. “I wonder how I ever could have guessed. You freaked out over the two fitness tests we did last week, after all. And those were two of the basic ones, sit ups and the sit and reach.”

“Not everyone is a jock like you, you know. I very proudly am a…”  
She bites her lip. “What’s the word for someone who likes the arts, but not the performance arts?”

“A dork. You’re a dork, Luz.”

“Behold, for I am the Great Dork Luzura, warrior of peace! Now-“

The bell rings, letting them know the passing period is over.

“I have to go to class, apparently.” She improvises, hand still proudly placed on her chest.. “Time to fail this fitness test!”

“You can’t fail unless you pass out on the track or something.”

Luz places a hand on Amity’s shoulder as they’re making their way to the gym. “Amity, I love you, but you totally just jinxed me and I’m absolutely going to pass out on the track now.”

~~~

The second Luz finishes her fourth lap she purposefully collapses into Amity’s arms. “Amity,” she cries out. “I’m so _tired!_ ” she exclaims while panting.

“I know, but you did good! You didn’t pass out so I guess I didn’t jinx you.”

“Huh, you’re right. Now let me sit on the ground because my legs feel like jelly.” She tries to get to the ground faster by letting her knees give out but Amity catches her and pulls her back up. 

“It’s better if you stay standing, you know. Here, let’s just walk for a bit, okay? I’ll put your time down for you first though.”

Luz uses her gym shirt to wipe sweat off of her forehead. “Oh yeah, I forgot to check. What was mine?” 

“Ten minutes and thirty seven seconds. Not too shabby for a dork like you.”

Weakly thrusting a fist in the air, Luz cheers. “Yay me! But how’d you do, Miss Athlete?”

“Seven minutes and fifty six seconds,” Amity admits bashfully. “Much better than I thought I’d do, I didn’t know I was capable of that.”

Suddenly grabbing Amity’s hand in hers, Luz thrusts them into the air. Still weakly, but she’s trying. “Woo, that’s my girl! Guess you’ll be on the track and field team after all!”

Amity blushes. “Yeah, guess I will be.”

Back inside the gym, Luz makes a beeline for the water fountain and then sets herself in front of the industrial sized fan. “This is absolute heaven,” she murmurs.

“Let’s go find heaven elsewhere, okay? I think one of the teachers doesn’t appreciate you blocking the airflow.”

“Yes ma’am~” Luz shifts twenty or so feet over to lean against the bleachers. The teachers are allowing them to sit around after today’s fitness test. “Amity, put your legs flat.” When Amity obliges, Luz puts her head on her lap. “Much better.”

Amity smiles down at the girl. Just like how she usually doesn’t give physical attention to others, she dislikes physical contact from most as well. Only her siblings have gotten that right before, and that’s only sometimes. Half the time she swats them away. But Luz is different. They haven’t even known each other for a week, but somehow Amity feels as if they’ve known each other for years already. Like they were meant to be friends.

Two peas in a pod, both dorks but one also a jock.

“That feels nice, Amity,” Luz says. She didn’t realize she had started to play with Luz’s hair, no longer damp from sweat. “Kinda like you’re a cat kneading when they’re happy.” Luz sighs happily, then opens her eyes. “Are you coming to the clubs this week? Art and SAGA?”

“SAGA is the sexuality one, right?”

“Sexuality and Gender Alliance. Or maybe the last letter stands for Association.”

“Sure, I don’t see the harm in trying it out. Do you know what they do there?”

Luz’s eyes cross as she tries to think. “I only went to a few meetings at my last school, but if they’re anything similar I think they just discuss lgbt things going on in the world and occasionally watch a gay movie or something. And there’s probably some awareness thing they do.”

“Hm, interesting.” She stops playing with Luz’s hair for a moment. “Why’d you only go to a few meetings at your last school?”

She’s quiet for a moment so Luz worries she crossed a line by accident. Finally, she speaks up. “Turns out most of the club were straight girls who wanted control over the lgbt students or something. They also had this weird fetishization about it that I really felt uncomfortable with. And,” her voice softens. “They were bullies. That’s why I moved, actually. When I finally told my mom, she said as soon as she could get her job transferred somewhere else that we’d move.”

Amity doesn’t say anything, just signals for Luz to sit up.

“Amity? What-” She goes silent when Amity wraps her into a hug.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone,” Amity whispers. “But you’re not alone anymore, okay? If anyone tries to pick on you I’ll make sure to deal with it.” She feels Luz tremble and bury her head into her shoulder. They sit there like that for a while. Others are staring at them by this point, she’s sure, but she couldn’t care less what they thought.

Eventually, the students clumped by the locker room door begin to filter in. “Luz, it’s time to go change,” she says. Luz grumbles into her shoulder before starting to stand up. Amity regretfully lets go of her to get up as well.

“Your hands are usually cold but the rest of your body is warm,” Luz says in her usual cheery tone. “You’re like a little mobile heater!”

“All humans are mobile heaters in that sense.” She’s glad her friend is starting to feel better. Her eyes are still a little red and puffy, but they don’t look sad anymore.

“Well, if that’s the case, you’re my favorite mobile heater,” she declares, pressing herself up against Amity as they walk to their gym lockers.

“Wow, what an honor. But hurry up and get changed before the twins manage to get into trouble somewhere,” she playfully pushes Luz away. “We’ll be in trouble ourselves if they get detention.”

“Hey, you never reacted to my compliment on your outfit earlier.”

“What compliment?” Amity asks. She doesn’t remember one.

“The one I wrote on the note during biology. About your cute pastel goth outfit today.”

“Oh, that one.” She looks down at her black tights, pink dress, and matching flats, then at the accessories she hasn’t put back on yet. “Huh, I guess it is pastel goth. Thanks for the compliment.”

Luz pouts. “Man, I was hoping a compliment from a cute girl would cause you to make a cute expression.”

Amity smirks. “You’ll have to try harder than that, Luz. Don’t forget that while my old school was co-ed, it was also split into male and female sides. I spent years around tons of cute girls.”

“You have a point, but were any of them able to do this?” Luz pulls the hood of her short sleeved hoodie over her head. “Meow meow!” she says as she flips up each at ear.

This takes Amity completely by surprise. She doubles over laughing, holding her sides. “Okay, okay, you win. That was the dorkiest but cutest thing I’ve seen you do yet,” she admits as she wipes a tear away.

Luz grabs her hand and starts to pull her towards the hallway. “C’mon, I wanna show your brother and sister this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's some fluff and some very light angst for the time being while I try to get a grip on what my life is at the moment and I totally didn't write most of this during an online history class. writing slow burn if this even in slow burn is hard I just want them to be dorks in love already aaaaaaaAAAAAAA
> 
> again, comments are really appreciated! I love reading what you have to say


	6. Anxiety at the Arcade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the arcade ends up with Luz looking at baby photos of Amity, basically. And they're having an impromptu sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well I didn't mean to write such a long chapter but here we are. more bonding, yay!

Emira spots them and waves, signaling for them to come over. “Hey you two, you got any homework to do tonight?” she asks as she drapes her arms over their shoulders.

“No, I finished mine during lunch.” Amity looks over at Luz, who gives her answer with double thumbs up. “And Luz,” Edric continues. “You free this afternoon?”

A confused look crosses her face. “No, but Amity was going to come over?” She glances at Amity, who is just as confused as she is, but just shrugs.

“Well, what if we changed the meeting place from your house to the arcade?” Luz gasps, eyes shining. “There’s an arcade in town?” she asks, bouncing on her feet.” Her smile falters as she realizes something. “Uh, I haven’t gotten my allowance yet, so…”

“Oh, Luz, it’ll be our treat! A little present for you and Mittens being friends for a whole week already!” Emira tells her.

Amity sighs and rubs her forehead. “That is an absolutely ridiculous reason, but I’ll take you up on it.”

“...Are you sure that’s okay?” Luz quietly says from her left. Edric bends down in front of her so they’re eye level, ruffling. “Yes Luz, we want to do this! We all like you, and,” he leans in closer to Luz’s ear. “We’re a little jealous Mittens is getting you all to herself”

Luz laughs, “Okay, I’m in!” She pumps a fist in the air. “Arcade time!”

~~~

The arcade is, to no surprise, fairly empty at this time of day. All the noise from the countless games still fill up the large room, their colorful lights blinking all over the place. Luz is wide eyed, face filled with wonder.

“I haven’t been to one of these in ages! And this one is so much bigger!” she exclaims as she twirls around with her arms out. “Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!”

“Calm down there cutie.” Emira smirks at her. “Here’s a game card with points on it for you and Amity to share. If you need more points or get hungry, just let one of us know, okay?” Luz nods excitedly and snatches the card out of her grasp.

“Thanks, you guys! Amity,” she grabs Amity’s hand, pulling her into the maze of games. “C’mon! I wanna see what they have here.” She smiles and follows her lead, watching in amusement as Luz can’t seem to settle on a single game.

Suddenly her hand is let go of as Luz bolts towards a row of games up against the back of the room. “Oh my _god_ , you have these here?! I’ve only ever seen them at anime conventions!.” She’s gawking over a dozen or so Japanese arcade games. Amity’s seen them before but never tried to play.

She walks up to the game Luz settled on. There are no buttons to be seen, only a smooth surface. The poster on the top shows an orange haired girl in twintails with cat headphones. Most of the sign is in Japanese, but below what she can only assume is the name is the translation in rainbow colors: BeatStream. There’s an identical machine to the left.

Luz swipes her card to start the game, squealing. “This is one of my favorites!” she says, frantically tapping on the screen even though it’s obvious it isn’t making it load any faster. “And the tutorial is in English!” she gasps. 

Amity giggles. It’s rather cute getting to see her so excited over something as simple as an arcade game. Luz pauses and turns around. “Oh, did you wanna play something?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I want to see you play this one.” She seems surprised for a moment, then smirks and gets into what Amity can only assume is a battle stance. “Prepare to be blown away!”

There’s a pause and then she speaks again. “After this tutorial. You can’t skip it.” She eventually gets to the song selection screen, scrolling through and humming. Finally picking one, she turns the difficulty up two and presses start. “ _Now_ prepare to be amazed!”

Amity watches in amazement as Luz taps the notes that seem to be coming in every direction. She happens to recognize the song, softly humming along. Luz completes the song with only a few missed notes, seeming proud of herself. “Heck yeah, still got it. You wanna pick a song for me to play?” She turns to Amity, who steps up and stats scrolling.

Only the tutorial was in English, apparently, unless a song happens to have an English name. One of the categories she clicks on shows anime music--she adores anime, but that’s a secret she keeps to her--and she can’t help but look through what they have.

Whipping her head around, she stares at Luz. “Did you know they have the entire The Good Witch Azura anime soundtrack on here?”

“Why do you think this game is one of my favorites?” Luz laughs. “You want to play for a bit?” Amity nods her head furiously. “Pink circles and green squares are single tap, hold, or swipe notes, alternating green and blue are double?” She waits for confirmation.

“You figured that all out after just one song?” Noticing how Amity blushes, she smiles. “That’s amazing! I already knew you were smart, but that’s just impressive.”

Amity covers her face. “Luz, that’s embarrassing!”

“It’s true though! You can’t deny it, you little smarty.” She doesn’t notice Amity’s ears turn red at the tips. “You might wanna play soon, you have like ten seconds left to select a song.”

Pulling herself out of her embarrassed state, she taps the opening theme to start it. “Wait I forgot to lower the difficulty-“ she hears Luz start to say behind her. Too late. 

The song starts, and it only takes all of five seconds for Amity to get the hang of it. She mouths along with the lyrics, completely entranced while her hands move on their own. All too soon the song is over and she’s brought back into the loud, bright arcade.

“Are you sure you’ve never played this before?” Luz asks from next to her. 

“Huh? No, I haven’t. Why?”

“Because I have _never_ seen someone complete a Level 8 song on their first try ever, let alone with a score that good. Look!” she points at the screen. “You missed twelve notes total. That’s insane!”

Amity rubs the back of her neck. “Guess playing rhythm games on my phone really helps?” she offers as an explanation. “Or maybe listening to the song a few hundred times?”

“Hey, you think you could do Nightmare Mode?”

“Nightmare Mode?”

“Yeah, it’s one up from Beast Mode, which is what you were on. And this song is only a 9-, which is a little above what you did. But,” she puts a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “An absolute nightmare to play. Good luck!”

Luz was right: it was an absolute nightmare. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest by the time it was over. Even though she technically cleared the song, the game told her she failed. “Oh my god that was the worst thing I have ever done.” Eyes shining, she turns to Luz. “Let’s make Edric and Emira try it!”

Some voices behind them make her turn her head. A group of four girls are standing around some claw machine, laughing amongst each other. All in school uniforms, one with dyed pink hair pulled into a high ponytail. Amity feels her heart stop and she quickly turns her head back, hands turning into fists.

Luz notices something is off. She puts a hand on her back, eyes narrowing with concern. “Amity?”

“We have to go find Emira and Edric. _Now_.”

Luz doesn’t ask any more questions after that, only pausing to look behind them. She sees the girls and puts the pieces together. “C’mon, they’re probably by the skeeball machines or something.” Leading Amity while making sure to block her out of sight from the girls, they hurry into a different aisle of games and don’t stop moving until they spot the twins.

Edric spots them first. “Hey, did you run out of points that quickly?” Upon seeing Amity’s pale face and her hands strangling the skirt of her dress, his smile falls. “Amity, what’s wrong?”

“They’re here,” she whispers. 

“Who’s here?” Emira joins them.

“Boscha, and the rest from the academy.”

Luz watches, a little confused, as Emira immediately pulls Amity in front of her, as if shielding her from unseen eyes. “Do you want to leave?” she asks as she places her hands on her little sister’s shoulders.

Amity takes a moment to reply. “...No, we still have points left to use.”

Emira bends down and lifts Amity’s chin up. “Those points are good forever, okay? We can always come back and use them later.”

Amity gives a small nod, eyes flickering back to the ground. “Okay.”

Emira smiles softly, standing back up. “Sorry Luz, we’re cutting this little activity short. We’ll finish it some other time.”

“No worries!” Luz replies, faking a smile. Amity is clearly freaking out, so there’s no point in staying when one of them isn’t having any fun. As they start towards the exit, Luz feels a tug on the hem of her shirt. It’s Amity.

They sit in the car in silence for a minute while Amity pulls herself together. 

“It’s not even four yet,” Edric says. “Amity, do you want to go home or to Luz’s house?”

“Mom and dad won’t be home until tomorrow afternoon, right?” Emira nods in confirmation.

Amity closes her eyes, turning to Luz after a few seconds. “I know this is kind of out of the blue and I know that it’s a school night, but do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?”

Luz blinks in surprise. She doesn’t know what exactly happened back in the arcade, but she has a feeling the group of girls she saw were some of Amity’s old friends. And she remembers hearing something about them being bullies. Whatever it was, it’s clear that Amity wants to be with someone she trusts right now. “Yeah, sure! You’ll just have to let me get some stuff from home first.”

She watches Amity sigh in relief when she doesn't turn her down. “Thank god,” she murmurs. Luz makes small talk with the twins on the way back to her house, Amity remaining silent with her knees tucked into her chest. She offers a small smile when they arrive at Luz’s house. “I’ll be back in just a minute!’

Now, Luz has never been to a sleepover before, probably due to her lack of friends. What did she need? Pajamas, clothes for school tomorrow, her toothbrush...did she shower already today? Probably not, but she can take one at Amity’s house anyways. And her phone charger, she’d probably need that. Tossing everything into a bag, she runs back downstairs and locks the front door from the outside. 

“Wow, sixty seconds on the dot. You’re a speedy little one,” Edric chuckles from the front as she climbs back in.

“I used to often oversleep and nearly miss my bus, so I know how to get ready fast.” SHe hears Amity laugh from beside her. “So that’s why your mom was so okay with us picking you up for school in the morning. How often did you oversleep?”

“One or twice a week, maybe. There’s a reason I have ten different alarms set in the morning.”

“Hey, Mittens does the same thing!”

“Emira!” Amity gasps. “How dare you call me out like that!” Luz is glad to see Amity feeling better and enjoys their sibling banter for most of the ride, until they pull into their neighborhood. 

The houses are huge, with equally huge yards in the front and back. “These things are like mini mansions,” Luz says in awe. “And you live in one of these?”

“Unfortunately.” Amity mutters.

“Don’t listen to her, Mittens here just enjoys cozy spaces. Did you let your mom know you’re spending the night?”

“Oh shoot, I probably should do that. Thanks for reminding me, Emira.”

_**[Luz]: Amity invited me to stay the night! I’ll call you tonight and stop by tomorrow morning. Love you <3** _

“Welcome to the Blight Manor,” Edric announces as they pull into the driveway.

“Wait, your last name is Blight?”

Amity stares at her in disbelief. “You didn’t know that? They use our last names in gym!”

Luz raises her hands in defense. “You should know by now I’m dumb! And it’s the last period of the day, do you really expect me to be paying any attention?”

A knock on the window stops them. Edric opens the door, peering inside. “Might wanna come in the house before Em and I take all the ice cream for ourselves.”

“Okay, I’m sold.” Amity undoes her seatbelt and slips out of the car. Luz follows, her sleepover bag in hand.

The interior of the house is just as impressive as the exterior. Luz soaks everything up in amazement as she follows the Blights to the kitchen. “We have mint chocolate chip and chocolate right now. Take whatever you like, so long as it isn’t the whole container, Mittens.” She already snatched up the tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream, clutching it to her chest.

“I just wanted to make sure I would be able to get some, is that a crime?” she protests.

“No, but that’s a brand new container you’ve got there. It hasn’t even been opened yet,” Edric says as he hands her an ice cream scooper and a bowl. She takes them with a huff. 

“She _really_ likes that flavor,” Edric tells Luz while Amity is busy. Luz giggles, then remembers she’s lactose intolerant. “So, as much as I’d love some ice cream, I happen to be lactose intolerant.”

“This ice cream is actually dairy free,” Amity informs her as she puts the lid back on. “I’m lactose intolerant as well.”

“Yeah, poor Mittens throws up when she has milk, just like a cat.”

“So does Edric with his diary allergy. Don’t single me out here, Emira.”

“Guess I can have ice cream,” she says cheerfully as Emira sticks her tongue out at her sister. She combines the chocolate and mint taking a spoon from the four set on the counter.

Amity notices she’s done and grabs her bowl. “Well, it’s been an absolute delight spending time with you two, but unfortunately Luz and I will be going upstairs now.” she says, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Luz hurries after her, grabbing her bag where she left it. They make their way up to Amity’s room, where she’s greeted with pink walls. Well, maybe they’re more of a magenta? It’s a fairly large room, with some furniture on the other side. It’s pretty empty compared to Luz’s.

“My parents make me keep it tidy and only allow me to have so many ‘non practical’ items out on display,” Amity says as if she read Luz’s mind. She shuts the door with her foot, sitting on the floor and leaning against her bed.”

“Did you choose the wall color yourself?” Luz asks as she puts a spoonful of the ice cream into her mouth. “Wow, this stuff is surprisingly good.”

“I know, isn’t it? And yes, I did.”

Popping the spoon out of her mouth, she glances around the room again. “I don’t know if it’s my place to ask,” she begins hesitantly. “But were those girls in the arcade earlier your old friends?”

Amity looks down at the ground. “Yeah, they were. I was basically forced to be friends with them once they put me in private school after elementary. Skara and Kat aren’t too bad, but Boscha has them wrapped too far around her finger.” She places another spoonful in her mouth. “Boscha was the worst by far. I ran because if she saw me, she’d want to talk, and if she saw you with me she’d probably make fun of you. I didn’t want her to do either of those things.”

“”Thank you for that. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, isn’t that what friends do?”

Luz finishes her ice cream and sets the bowl to the side, fiddling with her fingers. “I’ve never been to a sleepover before, so I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.”

Amity sets her bowl down. “Well, all the ones I’ve had in the last four years were with Boscha, and she’d usually just gossip or pull pranks around the neighborhood. The ones before that…” She thinks for a moment. “I have a pool, that’s about all I can think of right now. You can borrow one of my swimsuits.”

She pulls some out from a drawer and sets them on her bed. “I’m going to see if Edric and Emira want to go out with us.” Luz looks down at the four swimsuits she had laid down once she left the room.

They’re all one pieces, she soon discovers. Two are simple designs, two have added ruffles on them. Luz picks the indigo ruffled one up and Amity walks back in a few seconds later. “They said they’d join us in a bit. Oh, you like that one?”

“Yeah, it’s cute! And if you wear this one,” Luz holds up the pale pink suit. “We’ll be matching!” Amity laughs, taking the suit from her. “Alright, guess you leave me with no choice. I’ll change in the bathroom, open the door here when you’re done.”

Amity looks down at the suit in her hands as she heads to the bathroom. It’s her favorite out of the four. The top ties up behind her neck in a bow, with a small line of frills along the top of the hemline and some on the bottom. If a princess had a swimsuit, it would look something like this.

She slips it on, looking at herself in the mirror. She’s always loved this color on herself, especially shades that aren’t so vibrant. While a light shade, it’s also dusty, easy on her eyes. Amity folds her clothes and takes off the rest of her accessories, adding them to the pile. 

Down the hall she sees the door to her room open and makes her way over. Luz is folding her own clothes and squeaks when she sees Amity. “Oh my god, it looks so good on you!” Next thing Amity knows, Luz has her trapped in a hug. Her bare arms against her back are really warm. 

“Thanks,” Amity says as Luz lets go. “That one really suits you too.” Luz does a slow spin, showing off. “It’s good we’re the same size or else that wouldn’t have fit you.”

“It’s fate,” Luz says with a smirk. “We were destined to be friends.”

“Oh? And tell me, how does the Great Dork Luzura know this?” Amity plays along, putting her other two swimsuits away.

“She just does! Honestly, I’m offended you don’t believe me.”

“Whatever you say, Luzura,” Amity says playfully. “Follow me, we have to get sunscreen and towels.” They get the towels out of a closet on the second floor, and the sunscreen down on the first. Amity pauses at the back door, deciding to call for her siblings. “Edric, Emira! We’re going outside and I already got towels,” she shouts. “Here’s the sunscreen,” she hands Luz the bottle.

“Why, thank you ma’am. How kind of you to care about the wellbeing of my skin.”

Amity sighs, taking the bottle back for a moment. “Here, I’ll get your back for you.” She rubs sunscreen into her back, noting internally how pretty the color of her skin was. She probably didn’t burn as much as Amity does, but skin cancer still affects everyone. Once she’s done Luz turns around.

“Your turn,” she sings. Amity yelps as the cold substance is placed on her back, squeezing her eyes shut. “All done,” Luz tells her. She takes the bottle, fingers brushing together momentarily. Amity quickly works the sunscreen onto her skin, finishing with her face, neck, and ears. 

“Miss us?” a voice calls out from behind her. “No, not especially,” she replies without turning around. 

“Hi Edric!” Luz waves. “And hi Emira!” she says to the other twin. 

“Aw, Ed, look at them. They’re matching! I gotta take a photo.”

Amity blushes. “That’s not necessary-“

“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Luz wraps an arm around Amity’s waist and throws up a peace sign. With a sigh she copies her, posing just long enough for Emira to get her photo.

“Happy?” She asks her sister, sitting on the edge of the pool. “Very,” Emira chirps. “Luz, look how cute this is! I know you’ll appreciate it. And yes,I already sent it to you.”

“Why do you hate photos so much?” Luz asks as she walks up to the pool. “I guess I don’t like having all that attention on me. Being a model student was more than enough for me.” Amity kicks her legs in the water. 

“Cannonball!” Edric shouts, sending a huge splash from the deep end of the pool. Amity yelps as the cold liquid hits her. Luz does the same as her, but she’s also laughing. “Move, I’m gonna do that too.”

“Luz, wait-“ 

Her protest didn’t didn’t reach Luz in time because she was cut off two words in by another wave of water, this one smaller. “That’s it!” Amity says and lowers herself into the water. “You two are so dead.”

She splashes water in their direction, Luz and Edric laughing. They spend a few minutes in a splash war until they’re out of breath. Luz props herself up on her elbows at the edge of the pool. “Hey Emira, aren’t you coming in too?”

Emira uncrosses her legs. “Yeah, in a minute.” She leans over and opens a storage box on the side of the house, pulling out a ball. “Play monkey in the middle! Even though Edric is the tallest he always struggles to get out of the monkey position.”

Luz gives a salute to her. “Aye aye, captain!” She takes a deep breath and dips beneath the surface, appearing between the other two and scaring them. Emira smirks from the side, taking more photos. Amity will thank her later for these.

“Em, help! They’re ganging up on me!” Edric calls from the water as the two younger girls corner him in the pool. They both shove a wave of water at him, laughing when he spits water out of his mouth. “Em!”

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming.” She puts her phone down and takes the steps into the water. “They just want to play monkey in the middle with you, you wouldn’t be cornered by two fourteen year old girls if you just said yes.”

Edric attempts to back away but there’s nowhere to go. “But you know I’m awful at that game.” Apparently, getting out of the pool is an option that hasn’t crossed his mind. “You don’t want to spend some quality time with your baby sister, Ed? You’re always complaining about how she wants to be alone and here she is offering to play with you, yet you reject it?”

“Yeah Edric, come play with us!” Amity says with a mischievous smile. “You’ll miss me when you’re at college in two years.”

That seems to be what gets to him. “Ugh, fine! Just go easy on me. Please?”

“Nope,” Amity pushes him to the middle of the pool. “You have to work for your redemption. And you’ll have to battle Emira for it too.”

Emira cracks her knuckles. “Good luck Ed. You’ll need it.” Her twin whimpers next to her. “Why do I have such competitive siblings?”

They play for a while, the three girls switching between who goes in the middle while Edric never manages to catch the ball. He finally does, however, and cheers. “Haha, I caught it! Suck it Luz!”

Emira flicks his forehead. “FIrst of all, don’t use that language when pertaining to our guest, and second, she totally made a weak throw so you could catch it.” Edric brings the ball to his heart and gasps. “How dare you mock my athletic ability. I’m deeply offended.”

Rolling her eyes, Emira swims to the ladder to get out of the pool. “I’m hungry, you three wanna eat soon? We can order takeout if you want.”

“Wait, are you just gonna leave now? After I finally get out of the middle?”

“Yes, Ed, I need to dry off in case we need to go pick up food. Anything specific any of you would like?” She squeezes her hair, letting water wet the ground below. 

“We haven’t had anything from that Thai place for a while,” Amity comments. “They don’t use a lot of dairy, so we can all eat something there.” She looks at Luz and her brother. “That good with you?”

“Thai food? Heck yeah!”

“I want the regular!” 

Emira smiles, glad they could agree on something so quickly. Usually it ended in a fight. “Mittens, what do you want?”

“The same thing I always get, pad thai with tofu,” she says, propped up against the edge on her elbows.

Luz thinks for a moment. “I trust Amity’s judgement, I’ll take what she’s having too.”

“Alright, I’ll go order now. It always takes a while for food to be ready, you three just keep playing.” She goes inside, shutting the door behind her.

Edric tosses the ball up onto the ground. “Now that she’s gone, no more monkey in the middle. Want me to toss you guys into the pool?” Amity narrows her eyes. “Are you sure you’re strong enough for that? We’re both over 100 pounds each.”

He takes a minute to reconsider. “So maybe I can’t do that,” he says. “But we could play Marco Polo. Just be careful with the deep end.” 

“Ooh, blind pool tag. I’ve always wanted to try this,” Luz says as she wiggles her fingers. “I call dibs on being it first!”

It’s hard for Amity to keep herself quiet when she watches Edric desperately try to stay away from Luz, his face filled with fear. She’s right on him when she calls out. “Marco.”

Amity smirks as Edric whispers his reply and makes a last ditch effort to dodge her grasp. He fails, Luz tagging her arm. 

Groaning, he goes to the center of the pool. “You got me, but I’m going to get my revenge. Marco!”

“Polo!” Luz and Amity shout. Amity goes to her left as Edric goes right, keeping her breathing slow and steady. She watches in amusement as her brother targets Luz, following her voice. 

“Marco,” he calls out again.

“Polo,” Amity says, jumping when she hears someone say the same right behind her. “Luz,” she hisses. “What are you doing?”

Luz puts a finger on her lips and motions at the ladder. Amity stifles a laugh when she understands what Luz wants to do. They very slowly get out of the pool, keeping an eye on where Edric is.

Amity’s pulse quickens when she realizes Edric is headed directly toward her. A splash behind him causes him to whip his head around. It was Luz bending over the end of the pool, hitting the water.

“Marco?” He heads toward where he heard the noise. “Polo, “ Luz says, sending Amity a wink. She winks back, stepping back onto the pavement.

Edric’s brow wrinkles in confusion when he reaches the edge without tagging anyone. Luz silently runs somewhere else, slashing the water again. They repeat this for a minute until Emira opens the door back up.

“Food will be ready in 40 minutes,” she says, pausing when she sees Edric wandering the pool, eyes shut, and the two girls at the edge struggling to hold back their laughter. “Edric, you know they’re not in the pool anymore, right?”

“Wait, what? How long have you been doing that?” 

Luz starts laughing out loud. “For like two minutes.” 

“You’re still super gullible,” Amity joins in. “We do this every time we play, how have you not caught on by now?”

Edric sighs and gets out of the pool, beginning to dry off with a towel. “I’m the only one who inherited the dumb gene, apparently.”

“Are any of you gonna shower before we eat or do you just want to smell like chlorine the rest of the night?” Emira asks.

“I’ll shower,” Amity says. “Luz, do you want to take one too?” She nods. “Yes please. Chlorine makes my hair dry if I don’t rinse it out.” 

Amity hands her a towel. “Dry off a little first and I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”

A few minutes later Luz is under warm water, humming. She runs her shampoo though her hair and watches as the water turns from soapy to clear. Smiling to herself, she turns off the water. Today has been really fun, and it’s only dinnertime. She still has the whole night ahead of her.

She continues to hum, drying off again with a new towel. After putting lotion and her clothes back on, she leaves the towel in the hamper and exits the room. Amity isn’t in her room so Luz sits and waits, scrolling through her phone.

Emira happens to walk by, seeing Luz alone. “Do you want me to dry your hair for you?” she asks. Luz looks up. “Yes please. I couldn’t find a hairdryer.” She actually didn’t even look for one, she was planning on letting her hair air dry like usual. For some reason she found it difficult to turn her down.

“Mittens probably just moved it. Or maybe Edric, he’s actually surprisingly fussy about his hair. Did you know it takes him up to fifteen minutes every morning to style it?” Emira chuckles. “He uses hair gel but pretends it’s all natural. You have some blackmail material on him now,” she nudges Luz. “You’re welcome.”

“Blackmailing people is mean though. Isn’t that like bullying?” 

“Nah,” Emira waves her hand. “Not when you have siblings like I do. And you’re friends with Mittens, so you have special permission.”

“I probably won’t use that power you’ve given me, but thanks.” They enter another bathroom on the second floor, smaller than the one Luz was in. Amity is in there, tying her hair back up.

“On second thought, I have something to go do. Mittens, can you help her dry her hair?” Emira asks.

“Sure, I guess- and she’s gone.” Amity sighs, picking up the hair dryer. “Do you want me to do it for you?”

“I don’t know how to use a hairdryer, so yes please.” Luz replies, sitting down on the stool next to her.

Amity just looks at her. “You’re fourteen and don’t know how to use a hairdryer?” Luz averts her eyes as if she were a puppy caught doing something bad. “I know _how_ to use one, I’m just really bad at it. Besides, short hair dries on its own pretty quickly.”

“Ugh, I can’t stand having wet hair on my neck for too long,” she shudders. Turning the hair dryer on, she flips to the warm setting and aims it at luz. “This good?” she asks over the noise.

Luz smiles in the mirror, giving a thumbs up. As Amity does her thing, Luz closes her eyes and enjoys the warm feeling. It’s like standing on a heating vent in the winter, but someone is also playing with your hair. All too soon the warmth goes away and so do the fingers, but they come back momentarily.

“Your hair is so thick,” Amity murmurs, ruffling it a bit. “I’m jealous.” She twirls some of her hair in her fingers. “My hair is thin and bleaching it to dye it makes it even thinner.”

“Thick hair is a pain when it gets long. That’s why mine is short.” Luz tilts her head back, looking up at Amity. “Did you dye your hair to match Azura’s?”

Blushing, Amity looks away. “Partially. Boscha wanted us all to dye our hair a few years back and my parents didn’t disagree with the idea so long as I didn’t do something too extreme. So now it’s this,” she gestures to her hair. “I dyed it right before school started because I was insecure about my roots showing and I have green dye leftover.”

“It looks pretty, I like it.” 

“Thanks, Luz.” She ruffles Luz’s hair one last time before taking her hands out. “Want to go do something while we wait for the food?”

The two stop at Amity’s room to retrieve the ice cream bowls before going downstairs. Edric is sprawled on the couch, staring at the TV. He sits up when he sees them walk in. “Hey Luz, wanna see some of Mittens’ baby pictures?”

“Edric, why?” Amity sighs, taking the bowl from Luz. “Whatever, go nuts. There’s embarrassing photos of you and Emira in there too.”

“The photo of us in bunny costumes isn’t embarrassing! It’s adorable!” he scoffs. Pulling some albums off of a nearby shelf, he sets them down. “Here’s a photo of her after she was born, here’s one of her crying while being held by Em for the first time, here’s another one of her crying but being held by me this time..” he trails off as he points to each individual picture.

“Amity, you were so cute!” She flips through pages of her as a baby. “Who’s this?” she asks, pointing to a picture of Amity next to a girl with black hair. “Oh, that’s-”

Amity cuts Edric off. “That’s Willow,” she says, kneeling down next to her. “We were best friends until the end of fourth grade, when she moved away. We fell out of touch after that.” 

Luz frowns, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you okay?” She nods. “Yeah, I just miss her. Especially after having to deal with Boscha as a so-called ‘friend’ for four years after that.”

“Hmm,” Luz thinks for a moment. “I’m no Willow, but you have me as a friend now! So don’t be so sad.”

“I know,” Amity says with a laugh. She catches a glimpse of Edric smirking at them. “What?”

Edric shakes his head. “Nothing, you two are just cute together.” Luz throws her arms around Amity. “That’s because we’re both cute! She even said I was cute at school today.” Amity blushes when she sees Edric raise an eyebrow.

“I’m pretty sure I called something you did cute, not you yourself.” Luz just squeezes her tighter. “Same thing!” As embarrassed as she is, she’s enjoying being hugged so she doesn’t try to swat her away.

“Oh really?” her brother asks. “Tell me, Mittens, what did she do that made you use such a word?” Luz lets go and perks up. “I can show you,” she says. She pulls her hood up and flicks each cat ear up one at a time. “Meow meow!”

Edric chuckles. “Wow, no wonder you’re friends. Mittens had a phase years ago when she’d wear cat ears around everywhere.” He goes to show Luz when Amity snatches the albums away. “Alright, that’s enough! Let’s set the table.”

“Aw, way to kill the fun, Mittens.” He bends down to Luz’s level. “I’ll show you them later,” he whispers. “It’s a deal,” Luz whispers back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add more to this but it felt forced so it'll come up in a later chapter. might take a while for an update because I have two papers due this weekend and I need to get those out of the way first. yay for my school splitting the semester into two seven week terms because of covid!


	7. Amity Doesn't Realize She's Gay Yet But Discovers Emira Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Homecoming is upon them. Not yet, but soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to say this last chapter but 2k+ hits and 200+ kudos??? I didn't expect this fic to get that popular, thank you all so much

“Hey Amity,” Luz sings. It’s been two weeks since their sleepover, and they’re sitting in the cafeteria. “Are you planning on going to the homecoming dance?”

Amity pauses between bites. “I haven’t actually thought about that, maybe because I’m not dreading it like I was at my other school.” Luz places her chin in her hands, looking up at Amity with pleading eyes. “I really want to go but it won’t be fun alone, will you go with me? Please?”

“Hold up,” Amity puts her sandwich down. “Are you asking me to go to the dance with you?” Luz turns red and starts frantically waving her hands in front of her. “I-I meant as friends!”

With a laugh, Amity pats Luz’s shoulder. “Yes, Luz, I’ll go to the dance with you. You don’t have to freak out like that.” 

“Yes!” Luz pumps her fist in the air. “The closest thing I have to a dress though is my otter onesie, which probably won’t count as acceptable attire at this school either.”

“Wait, either?”

“Long story. Can you see if Emira can take us? She seems to know what she’s doing and also she has a car.” Luz puts an entire cookie into her mouth and struggles to close it back up.

“If you don’t choke to death on a cookie first.” Luz groans and takes the cookie back out, snapping it in half before putting it back in. “That’s acceptable.”

_**[Amity]: Luz asked me to go to homecoming with her and wants you to come dress shopping with us this weekend**  
[Emira]: aw little mittens is growing up so fast  
[Emira]: ill do anything for your little girlfriend  
**[Amity]: you forgot the space between girl and friend**  
[Emira]: no i didnt  
[Emira]: i require some pictures as payment and im bringing a friend with me since i need one too _

“Well, she said yes but I guess it’s a party of four now. Edric is going to be sad.” Amity slips her phone away in her bag. 

“Just tell him it’s a girls’ outing or something. And ooh, mysterious upperclassman! I wonder who it is. Her mysterious boyfriend, maybe?”

“Based on her reaction in the car a while ago, I think it’s a mysterious girlfriend instead.

Luz smirks. “Our girls’ outing just got more interesting,” she says, rubbing her hands together.

The rest of the week flies by. Amity is sitting in the car outside of Luz’s house, waiting for her to appear. Suddenly she flies out the door, nearly tripping down the front step.

“I’m so sorry, my mom made me clean up my room and wouldn’t let me leave until it was done.” Luz steps into the car.

“Not a problem, Luz. We’re used to Edric taking a long time because of his hair. Cute outfit, by the way.” Luz looks down as if she already forgot what she was wearing. It’s a white sleeveless crop top with thin green stripes, paired with high waisted relish green shorts. “Oh, thanks! So, where is this mysterious friend you’re bringing along?”

“She’s meeting us there later. Her cat made a mess and knocked over a bunch of potted plants or something. You mind if I play music from my phone today?”

“Oh god, Emira, if it’s musical soundtracks again-” Amity starts. “Okay, maybe most of what I have are those but they’re so good!” Emira agrees. “I’m also the one driving so I get the final say. Here, Luz, you can pick something.”

Taking her phone, she starts to scroll through songs. “Ooh, Candy Store? That one sounds fun!”

Amity sees Emira’s eyes widen in the mirror. “Wait, Luz, that-” Luz presses play before she can finish. “...is not what it seems,” she says as the song begins. Amity laughs when Luz is shocked. “A lot of them are like this.” 

Emira starts singing from the front. Luz taps her foot to the beat, clearly enjoying that. When it’s over, Luz pauses the music and speaks. “That was interesting.”

“Oh if you think _that_ was bad, play Dead Girl Walking. Not the reprise one yet though.”

Amity tries taking the phone away from Luz. “Okay, that’s enough, you’re trying to corrupt Luz’s mind here.” With a laugh Luz leans away from her and presses play.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Amity says as she points at Luz. “Aw c’mon mittens, it’s not that bad compared to a lot of popular songs on the radio.” She starts to sing along to this one too.

Once the song ends Luz closes the music app. “So, as catchy as those songs were, I think I’ve had enough for now.”

“I told you so,” Amity glares at her older sister. “Hey, you’re acting like I showed her porn or something! It’s just a kind of explicit song and not even the worst one from the musical.” Emira tries to defend herself.

“So is this musical like Mean Girls or something?” Luz asks. “Hmm, yeah, I suppose it is. But throw in some murder and domestic terrorism and that’s Heathers: The Musical. The movie came out back in the 80’s, the musical came out after Mean Girls.”

“Interesting. I think I’ll stick with Disney princess movies instead.”

They pull into one the parking lot of the mall. “You owe us bubble tea for putting Luz through that.” 

“Fine, fine, that’s fair enough. We have enough time before Viney gets here anyways.”

“Wait, Viney? The girl with the fishhook earring?”

Emira looks surprised. “Yeah, how do you know her?”

“She’s in the school’s gay club with us,” Luz says and then gasps. “She’s your secret girlfriend!” She knows she’s right when the older Blight turns bright red.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Luz. She’s straight.”

“She literally came into the club by kicking open the door and saying ‘move, I’m gay’, Emira.” Amity closes the car door as she steps onto the pavement.

“Ugh, you caught me. But we’re not dating and I don’t know if she even likes me,” she says as she rubs her arm.

“Is she going to the dance with anyone?”

“Yeah, with me. She’s the one who asked.” She starts walking toward the mall entrance. “Enough of this, let’s go try on some cute dresses!”

“After you get us our bubble tea,” Amity shouts after her.

“After your bubble tea.”

~~~

“Hey, girlfriends!” Viney says as she meets up with them. “Sorry, Puddles decided that she _really_ didn’t like where I put the plants and thought they looked better on the floor.” She hugs Emira as a greeting and then points her finger at the other two. “So are you each other’s dates to homecoming next week?”

“Yep!” Luz puts her hands on her hips. “Nice!” Viney says, holding out her hand for a high five. “This one is mine,” she says, putting her arm up on Emira’s shoulder. “Hey, if you think about it, we’re technically on a double date right now. Isn’t that fun?” 

Luz and Amity snicker when Emira turns red. “Come on rich girl, let’s go to that fancy dress shop first!” She tugs her away, the other two following behind.”

“Oh, she’s totally into her,” Luz says. “I kinda wanna set them up but I want to see Viney embarrassed first.”

“I’m glad I have blackmail to hold over her now.” She takes a long sip of her tea. “You guys really like having blackmail against each other, huh.”

“Welcome to having surrogate siblings, Luz.” She pokes around the cup with her straw, trying to get the last few pearls. “Oh, what’s your budget?”

“Sixty. Is that enough for the store we’re being dragged to?” Amity had been there with Boscha before. The cheaper formal dresses were about $80 with the more expensive ones going over $200.

“Let’s look somewhere else first. I’m sure those two would enjoy some alone time anyways.”

_**[Amity]: Luz doesn’t have enough for that store so we’re going somewhere else  
[Amity]: we’ll meet up with you later** _

Emira turns around when she sees the messages and sends her a thumbs up. “Alright, I think department stores usually have cheaper dresses. There should be a Macy’s over here.” 

“So how exactly is homecoming different from a normal school dance?” Luz asks. 

“From what I’ve been told it’s bigger and fancier than the winter ones, but much less formal than prom. And girls usually ditch their shoes early on so you get to walk barefoot.”

Luz nods. “Interesting, interesting. But is there free food?”

“Are you planning on taking back your invitation if there’s not?” Amity crosses her arms. “No, of course not! You’re still my date and I’m very set on going. To prove it,” Luz puts her arm out. “You may take my arm.”

“Aw, how sweet. But I won’t do that.” Luz pouts. “How about we link pinkies until we get to the store? It doubles as a pinky promise.”

“Fine.” She lets Luz take her pinky in hers. “And Edric said there were fresh cookies and popcorn last year, which means we shouldn’t eat any of it. Pretty sure the water is lactose free though.”

“Staying hydrated during a dance is very important, Amity. I would hope they make that accessible to everyone.”

“Pretty sure that’s just a requirement for public schools. Oh, this is the store.”

Luz runs ahead a few feet and bows. “After you, m’lady.”

“Dork.”

“You know you love it.”

Inside, they find the section of homecoming dresses. Amity has plenty of dresses in her closet at home thanks to the countless social events her family attends, so she isn’t planning on buying one. Though it doesn’t hurt to look.

After a minute, Luz gasps loudly. “This is it!” she says, holding up a black dress. It looks to be a bit above knee length and sleeveless, the top going up to the neck. There’s a yellow crescent moon on the front.

“I can say that’s very you. Go try it on and see if it fits.” She starts pushing Luz towards the fitting room. “Wait! Just humor me and try this on.”

Luz pulls a dark raspberry colored dress off of a rack. It’s very similar to the black one, just a little more feminine looking. Suddenly, she has second thoughts about her no new dress policy. “Did Emira ask you to make me try things on so she could have photos?”

“...Maybe. I think it’ll look good on you though.”

“Okay, but remember I’m trusting judgement from a girl who thought dressing as an otter was a good idea at her last dance.”

“It was adorable and you know it,” Luz says as she disappears into a dressing room. She hasn’t seen any photos of it, but she’s sure it was cute. _Everything she does seems to be cute,_ she thinks to herself.

_Wait, where’d that thought come from?_ Amity shakes head and sighs, changing into the reddish pink dress. It fits perfectly and, to be honest, she absolutely loves it. There are little sheer gold sleeves that are really just for decoration. The belt is made from the same fabric, and, up close, the rest of the dress has specks of gold throughout.

“Hey Amity, come out when you’re done, okay?” Luz calls from outside.

She unlocks the door and nervously steps outside. The dress looks wonderful on Luz, but she doesn’t get much time to admire it. 

“Oh my god, it’s literally perfect! A Hecate cosplay but red and made into a formal dress,” Luz says as she’s hugging her. 

“Wait, why Hecate?”

“Because,” Luz lets go and points at the crescent moon. “That. And before you say mine has one too, I’m already Luzura.”

“I hate that your reasoning there is actually valid,” Amity mutters. “How do you like yours though?”

Luz twirls around. “It’s amazing. And on sale, so they’re only $49 each.” She hands her phone over to Amity. “Take a photo so I can see what your sister and her girlfriend think.”

_**[Luz]: [uploaded img.png]  
[Luz]: I’m a witch with a dark side >:3 **  
[Emira]: hell yeah you are  
[Emira]: viney likes it too_

“They both like it. Now it’s your turn!” Luz takes a step back to get a full body shot of Amity. “Hey, wait,” she tries to protest.

“I gotta! Your sister wants a photo of you too, right?”

“Ugh, fine. But I’m not posing.”

_**[Luz]: [uploaded img.png]  
[Luz]: I brought her to the dark side with me hehehe >:3c  
[Luz]: she’s being a little shy though**  
[Emira]: oh  
[Emira]: my god  
[Emira]: you two have to get those thats the cutest thing ive ever seen_

Amity doesn’t try to object, she really likes the dress. It makes her happy, somehow, knowing that she’ll be matching Luz. “Since we finished so early, do you want to see if we can find accessories that match these?” she asks.

Turns out finding matching accessories is really easy. They check Claire’s first--after buying their dresses, of course-- and lo and behold, they find a pack of crescent moon hair clips, a gold scrunchie for Amity, and a pack of earrings. “I’m a little scared at how easy this was,” she comments. “Also, I’m paying for these. No buts.”

“Aw, how sweet of you. You going soft on me, Blight?” Amity chuckles. “In your dreams.”

Right after she’s done paying, Luz pulls her to the side. “Not to freak you out or anything, but I think I saw that same group of girls from the arcade just walk by.” Amity groans. Of course Boscha would be here to mess things up. “Did one have pink hair in a ponytail?”

Luz nods. “That’s how I recognized them.” With a sigh, Amity rubs her forehead. “That one is Boscha. This mall is huge so I think we should be able to avoid them, but if we can’t and Boscha wants to pick a fight, then she’s going to get one.”

They meet back up with Emira and Viney, who are still in the fancy dress store.”Hey, you two!” Viney waves. “Emira showed me the photos and they’re very cute. Matching dresses is adorable. Your sister and I haven’t had as much luck, though.”

“Well, excuse me for having good taste in clothing. Let’s go look somewhere else. Why is yellow such an unpopular dress color?”

“Because no one wants to look like Pikachu, Em.” Viney puts her hands on her hips.

“I’ll have you know that Pikachu is a very cute Pokemon, Viney,” she says as she pulls her wallet out. “Here,” she hands them some money and the arcade point cards. “Go get some lunch and have fun somewhere else, I won’t make you deal with us. Bye!” she pushes then in the direction of the exit.

“Oh, they were totally flirting,” Luz says once they’re outside. “Are you hungry or do you want to go to the arcade?”

“I still have to make up for last time, so let’s go to the arcade. They’ll have food there anyways.”

“Hey,” Luz puts a hand on her shoulder. “You were uncomfortable so you had every right to get yourself out of that situation. You don’t need to apologize when you had a panic attack.”

~~~

“Well, look who it is! You weren't responding to my messages so I thought you, like, died or something.”

Amity groans internally. Of course she’s here now, when Luz is a few games away trying to win a pair of cat ears from a claw machine. “Hello, Boscha,” she says, crossing her arms and glaring at her. “I’m very much alive, as you can see.”

Boscha apparently can’t pick up on her irritation. “How’s that gross public school going? I bet it’s just filled with a bunch of losers. You’re too good for that place, you should get your parents to transfer you back to the academy.”

“Actually, I quite like it there. And I’ve met some very cool people, I’ll have you know.”

Just then, Luz pops up behind her. “Amity, look! I got two pairs of ears at the same time!” Her smile drops when she sees who Amity is talking to.

“Is _this_ one of those ‘cool people’ you mentioned? Because she just looks like another loser to me.” Boscha says with a scoff.

This is when Amity snaps. Her bands ball into fists, and she takes a step closer. “She’s way cooler than you could _ever_ hope to be, and I’ve enjoyed her company far more in the last month than I ever did in the four years I’ve known you combined. She is NOT a loser, and if I ever hear you call her that or a different disrespectful term, I will make you regret it,” she shouts, pointing a finger directly at her face. With a deep breath, she regains her composure, turns to Luz and puts a pair of cat ears on. “The only loser here is you, Boscha,” she says over her shoulder as she walks away.

“Ugh, whatever, let’s just go,” she hears Boscha tell her little posse. Amity collapses behind a machine, hand on her cheat. “Oh my god that was the scariest thing I have ever done.”

Luz crouches down in front of her. “Are you okay?” she asks. Amity nods. “I’m better than okay. I should’ve stood up to her a long time ago. Just give me a moment for the adrenaline to go away.”

“Thanks for defending me, Amity. You didn’t have to do that.” She moves to sit down beside her. “People have called me much worse, loser is a pretty mild term.” 

“Yes, I did have to. She insulted my friend so she got what she deserved. She’s actually lucky I didn’t make it physical, I would have loved to wipe that little smirk off of her dumb face.”

A sniff makes her realize Luz is crying. “No one has ever stood up for me before,” she whispers. Amity grabs a tissue from her bag and hands it over. “I’m sorry no one has before, but now you have three people now who won’t hesitate to beat up anyone if they’re hurting you. If Boscha so much as looks at you ever again, I will not hesitate to bitch slap her.”

Luz smiles, wiping her eyes. “Thanks, Amity. Those ears look cute on you, by the way.”

Amity curls her hands to imitate cat paws and tilts her head. “Who’s Amity? My name is Nyamity.”

“Dork,” Luz giggles, putting her own ears on.

“That makes two of us, then,” she leans in and pulls Luz closer to her. “Say nya.”

_**[Amity]: [uploaded img.png]**  
[Emira]: haha we should change your nickname to kitten  
[Emira]: wait was luz crying????  
[Emira]:hello????????????  
**[Amity]: don’t worry, they’re happy tears  
[Amity]: and please don't call me kitten**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> could you tell I was listening to some of the heathers soundtrack while writing this? no? you know now. if I had a tablet I would absolutely make some animatics but alas, I'm suck with my phone
> 
> I still have those essays to do so you may or may not get another chapter this weekend. depends how stressed I get, really


	8. Amity Discovers What is Wrong With Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone please help Amity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3

Luz stretches back in her chair, yawning. Thank god she’s in a connected desk, otherwise she would have fallen over.

“Tired?” Amity asks, chin resting on her palm. The teacher ended English class a few minutes early, due to each period being shortened for the assembly later. No one was focusing, anyways. 

Nodding, Luz yawns again. Amity fights the urge to yawn too. Curse that unexplainable human reaction to yawn every time someone else does. “Even after your nap at lunch?” she says playfully.

“I’m a growing child, I need more than half an hour of sleep. And besides, you can’t exactly sleep peacefully if the table behind you is playing Cards Against Humanity.” 

“Hate to break it to you Luz, but we’re both almost fifteen. We’re probably done growing, height-wise at least.” 

Luz crosses her arms. “I’m taking that as a challenge, Amity, just you watch.” Amity laughs. “Good luck with that.”

“You underestimate my willpower,” Luz says as she tries to flip her hair. It doesn’t work too well, given her current hairstyle. “Hey, why is Emira like six inches taller than you?”

“She and Edric take after my dad and I take after my mom, that’s why. The only thing from my father that I got was my hair color,” she sighs as she points at the brown roots that are beginning to show. “Hilarious that the youngest is also destined to be the shortest. Genetics are fun.”

“Hey, aren’t we learning a bit about genetics in bio when we start the plant unit next week? Punnett squares or something?” Luz squints as she tries to remember. 

Amity stands up and puts her backpack over her shoulder. “Yep, Punnett squares. They work best for plants, I think. Humans have much more complicated genes.” She turns to look out the window. “Willow would’ve loved this unit,” she murmurs.

Luz appears in front of her. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that last part. What’d you say?” Amity feels her face heat up and shakes her head. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

History class seems to drag out forever, even with the shortened schedule. Being unable to focus Amity opts to doodle in her notebook instead. She doesn’t understand what’s wrong with her lately; it’s hard to think about anything other than Luz, and she doesn’t know why. 

Maybe because Boscha was picking on her at the mall last weekend? _No, that’s not it_ , Amity thinks, tapping her pencil against her notebook. Or maybe it’s because Luz has the polar opposite personality, bubbly and outgoing while she herself was far more quiet and reserved. She does admire that about the other girl, but that still doesn’t feel right. There’s something else in the back of her mind she just can’t seem to pull out.

When she looks at what she’s drawn while lost in thought, she slams her notebook shut. Yeah, she’s drawn Luz before, but that was always when she was at her house and next to her. Not in school, let alone in a class they don’t share. She sighs and opens her phone, her heart skipping a beat when she sees a message from Luz.

_[Luzura]: I forgot to ask if you’d sit with me during the assembly!!! you will, right??  
 **[Amity]: duh  
[Amity]: I assumed that was a given  
[Amity]: who else would I even sit with anyways?**  
[Luzura]: I leave you unsupervised for three classes a day, I don’t know who you talk to  
 **[Amity]: did you forget that I’m the older one here?**  
[Luzura]: sorry mami >n< _

Amity chokes, coughing into her elbow. Did Luz just pull a ‘daddy’ joke on her? She knows it wasn’t meant to be sexual--Luz doesn’t make those kinds of jokes--but it still manages to completely fluster her. This girl is going to be the death of her, she swears.

**_[Amity]: I’m not old enough to be your mom smh_ **

Thankfully, the bell rings, saving her from having to think about Luz calling her ‘mommy’ in Spanish. Then she remembers her next class is gym, which Luz has with her. Maybe she’ll die of a heart attack and won’t have to deal with any more embarrassment.

By some miracle, Luz never brings up her last message. They walk around the track outside the entire time, the large gym being used to set up the assembly. She watches as Luz makes an effort to only step on the white lines, arms held out for balance.

“Are you going to the football game tonight?” Amity shakes her head. “No, that’s...a bit much for me to handle. A dance is one thing, but being in the crowd of a sports game on homecoming night is a totally different story.”

“Hmm,” Luz stops walking for a moment. “It won’t be fun if I go alone and I’m not in the golf cart parade they’re doing. Sports are boring unless you’re there to see someone you know, anyways.” She claps her hands together. “Time for another The Good Witch Azura movie marathon.!You wanna spend the night and join me?”

“Luz, I’m already doing that tomorrow night.”

“Oh yeah!” Luz turns around and starts walking backwards. “People have double sleepovers all the time, though.”

Amity gives a sad smile. “Sorry, Luz, I have plans with my parents already. And I have to get that essay for English done.”

“Wait, what essay?” Luz stops in her tracks.

“The one we’ve been working on for the last week,” she says slowly, giving her an incredulous look.” Relief crosses Luz’s face. “Oh, that one. Writing is kind of my strong suit, so I already have mine done.”

Amity gives her a gentle shove. “Way to rub in that you’re able to concentrate on things,” she laughs. Luz holds up her hands. “Hey, it’s all thanks to this magical thing called prescribed medication.” She spreads her hands out to imitate a rainbow for the last part.

“Too bad this magic can’t cure dorkiness,” she smirks, a twinkle in her eye.

Luz throws an arm over Amity’s shoulder. “Our dorkiness is what brought us together, Blight. Don’t you forget that. Besides, you know you love that part about me!”

She’s not wrong.

All Amity can remember from the assembly is how Luz held her hand so they didn’t get seperated in the crowd and how awfully close they were in the bleachers. How every time Luz’s leg bumped against hers her brain short circuited, how every time she laughed it was the only sound her ears could register.

She stares at the hand she held earlier while lying in bed, only now realizing how small they really were. Amity wouldn’t call herself petite, but she was more on the smaller side. Her hands, definitely, could be considered petite. Luz’s fingers were able to nearly wrap around her whole hand, kind of like a hug. 

Then she remembers she’s technically Luz’s date to the dance. Which means they’re almost certainly going to dance tomorrow, hand holding a part of that.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

~~~

Amity bounces her leg in the car as they drive to pick Luz up. Emira is driving with Viney in the seat next to her, Edric in the back row.

“You nervous, Mittens?” Edric asks. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t deny it. She nods, wringing her hands together. 

“Aw, it’ll be okay, Amity!” Viney calls from the front. “The hardest part is finding a date that won’t blow you off, and Luz absolutely isn’t that type.” She glances behind her. “Sorry, Edric.”

He just sighs. “It’s all good, Viney.”

That’s not why she’s nervous. Luz has been texting her all day, she knows she’ll tackle Amity with a hug the second she sees her inside. It’s the weird feeling she’s been getting lately, the one that makes it hard to focus on things. She doesn’t like being unable to understand her own emotions.

The car pulls up to the curb outside Luz’s house. They all file out, Amity clutching the strap of her bag. Or maybe it’s a satchel, she’s not really sure.

Ms. Noceda answers the door with a smile. “Come in, come in. Luz will be down in just a moment,” she ushers them inside. “Luz, your friends are here!” she calls upstairs. Amity can hear Luz say something in reply.

“You all look wonderful!” Luz’s mom says. “Luz wanted her outfit to be a surprise, so I haven’t seen it yet. All she told me was ‘I’m a witch with a dark side.’” Amity snickers, that definitely sounds like something Luz would say.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Luz says as she runs downstairs. Amity swears her heart stops when she sees her. 

She looks absolutely beautiful, her hair partially slicked back and the crescent moon hair clip on the side that isn’t. They hadn’t discussed makeup through text and left it up for themselves to decide. Amity was not prepared for this result. She knew Luz is already naturally pretty, makeup only accentuating that fact.

Her heart is pounding the entire time Ms. Noceda takes photos. She tries her hardest to act normal when all she wants to do is stare at Luz. If the twins notice they don’t say anything. She hopes they’re just having too much fun taking photos together to pay attention to their sister having an internal crisis.

“We better get going if we want to get there on time,” Emira says. “Luz, do you have your ID and ticket?”

“Yep!” She holds them up. “Amity, is it okay I put them in your bag?” Afraid of her voice squeaking, she just nods and unlatches the flap.

Amity’s nerves calm by the time they get to the school and in line. Luz is bouncing on her feet, her eyes shining. Again, looking like an excited puppy. Amity loves it.

They finally get inside to the gym, immediately greeted by flashing lights and loud music. There’s a stage at the far end with a DJ, where the lights are coming from. Several speakers are strategically placed around the room, table holding the cables down to the floor. There’s a photo booth minus the booth at the back corner of the basketball court, tables in the area behind. Luz grabs her hand and pulls her off to where she saw the tables. 

“You sometimes get overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises, right? We can stay here until you get used to it.”

Amity blinks in surprise. “How did you know that?” Luz sits down on the closest chair. “From reading your body language. When you’re uncomfortable you squeeze your arms to your sides, and that’s usually around crowds or noise. You also wring or play with your hands, but that’s usually around anxiety directed to specific people, like a teacher.”

“That’s rather impressive. Even I didn’t realize I did that, and I’ve known myself my entire life.” Luz smirks. “I guess it means Luzura was right, this really is fate.” Amity feels a warmth spread through her chest at that comment.

After just sitting and talking for a while, a song Luz likes comes on. She stands up, tugging Amity by both hands. “Dance with me!”

Amity sways on her feet while Luz goes all out. She’s too nervous to dance in front of other people yet, but It’s fun to watch Luz act as if she’s the only one in the room. She’s panting by the time it’s over, flopping back on her chair and tugging her boots off.. “I get why people take off their shoes, my feet are already killing me.”

“Where does everyone dump their shoes? These bad boys are a tripping hazard,” she gestures toward her combat boots. They’re certainly much larger than the average pair of heels.

“I think Emira said it’s just right across the hall.” She takes her own shoes off and they find the room with ease. It’s the only room aside from the bathroom that’s open, plus there are already dozens upon dozens of pairs of shoes covering half of the floor. Amity finds an open spot against the wall, placing her bag with them.

On the way back they bump into Edric, who seems glad to run into them. Apparently Emira ran off with Viney, leaving him alone, so he’s been sulking in a corner outside for a while. Luz invites him to go dance with them and he happily obliges.

Of course, him and his twin being theater kids, his dancing is a bit...extra. It’s like he’s putting on a performance, going so far as to lip sync along in an exaggerated manner. He might have a future on broadway, if he tries hard enough. Luz copies his exaggerated dancing, causing Amity to feel less insecure about other people seeing her. She doesn’t go as all out as the other two, but she does more than simply sway on her feet.

When her date has had enough dancing, she drags them over to the photo booth. This time, Amity doesn’t mind posing for the camera.

Luz eventually has enough of that too, smiling over all the photos. Their faces are flushed, hair already falling out of place, but they look happy. Edric’s poses are, like his dancing, a bit extra.“Let’s go put them in my bag,” Amity suggests. Edric leaves to go find some friends, thanking them for dancing with him.

Back in the gym Luz comes up with the idea to figure out what exactly is happening in the giant cluster of people by the front of the stage. Amity vaguely remembers Emira mentioning something about this, a year or two back, but she can’t recall what it was. They weave through groups of people on the outskirts and, at the center, find a circle of people grinding. 

Amity yelps and grabs Luz, running as fast as she can to the safety of the back. “Jesus christ, that’s going to scar me.” Luz laughs, her hand over her heart. “Me too. I was expecting someone breakdancing, not _that_.” Amity is absolutely going to chew out her sister for failing to warn them.

“I think I need a break. Come,” she motions for her to follow her. She climbs up to the top of the small set of bleachers behind the tables, facing the stage.

Luz stretches and leans against Amity. “This is fun,” she says. “It would’ve sucked going alone.”

“You’re welcome for saying yes,” Amity teases. “Oh, I knew you’d say yes.” Luz says nonchalantly.

“Someone has a lot of confidence, doesn’t she? Especially for asking her date to have only one dance with her so far.”

Silently getting off the bleachers, Luz takes a few steps out before turning around and hiking a hand out. “Whatever plays next we’ll dance to, okay? We can have a break later.” she says with a smirk.

“Find by me.” Amity hops down and takes her hand just as the current song ends. Two seconds of silence follow, and then Shut Up and Dance begins to play. Funny, she thinks, considering the conversation they just had,

Neither of them really know how to dance with another person, but they somehow manage to anticipate each other’s movements. Earlier, Amity never could have openly danced. Now, the only thing she’s worried about is having fun with Luz. Screw what other people thought, this is nothing compared to the literal grinding circle up front. 

The song ends far too soon but it’s immediately followed by Everytime We Touch. It’s a little slower, so Amity finds her hands on Luz’s waist as Luz has hers on her shoulders. 

When the music picks up, their hands move to being intertwined. The two are completely in sync and out of breath when the song ends. They end up with their faces mere inches apart, staring into each other’s eyes before laughing. Amity can feel the heat radiating off of her skin.

“That was fun! What a combination of songs to dance to.” Luz says as she tries to catch her breath.

“I know!” Amity wipes her forehead and looks over at Luz. Her forehead is shiny with sweat, yet all of her makeup is still on, from her mascara down to her lip gloss. Her eyes are twinkling and her cheeks are pink, adrenaline still clearly coursing through her system.

_God, I want to kiss her._

Amity freezes. She’s never had that thought before, ever. But the main characters in the romance novels she reads do, which means…

Oh no. 

Amity has a crush on Luz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "updates depend on how stressed I get" I say as I post another update a day later. this chapter was actually done 12 hours ago but I was half asleep for most of it so here's a much better updated version. 
> 
> I had to pull out five year old memories of the one time I went to homecoming in high school to write this, so a lot is a mirror of my school. the whole setting, the grinding circle (yes, a friend and I wanted to see what was going on and ran right into it and it still haunts me to this day. newly 15 year old me was not prepared), and dancing with a friend to Everytime We Touch though it was more so we were singing and running around the back. and the shoe room, especially the shoe room
> 
> anyways! I hope you like this chapter because from here on starts the pining 
> 
> also! thank you so much for 270 kudos and 3300 views! it means a lot that you all like this dumb little fic that I was mostly writing because I'm a sucker for high school aus


	9. Emira Discovers Her Sister is Gay, Which Isn't Really a Discovery. More of a Confirmation Because She Already Knew.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity gets help from Emira and miraculously control her gay feelings. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little but of a slow chapter but there's some fluff

Amity doesn’t know how she keeps herself collected enough to make an excuse of needing to use the bathroom and walk out into the hallway. The second she knows she’s out of Luz’s sight, her hands grab the sides of her dress, crinkling the fabric. She needs to find somewhere to sit.

Underneath the stairs at the back entrance is a small display case with masquerade masks and trophies. It has a little seating area, the only one outside of the gym itself that isn’t blocked off. Amity sits down and leans against the glass. She stares up at the ceiling for a few moments before bringing her hands to her face to muffle her scream.

This new feeling is entirely new and she doesn’t know how to handle it. It’s intense and confusing and makes her mind a mess. She feels herself on the brink of an anxiety attack when a voice calls out to her from her right. It’s Emira.

“Hey Amity!” Viney joins in, the pair making their way up to her. “Are you having…” her voice trails off when she catches sight of the expression on the younger girl’s face.

Alarm bells immediately go off in Emira’s head. She crouches in front of Amity, putting her hand over one of hers, which is currently trying to strangle the fabric in its grasp. “Amity,” she says softly. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Amity just closes her eyes, scared of admitting the truth out loud. Her sister seems genuinely worried though, she even used her real name. She also currently has a crush, so she knows how to handle having one. Amity decides it’s better to tell her.

“I-,” her voice catches in her throat. Emira gently squeezes her hand. “Take your time.”

With a deep breath, she nervously looks up at her sister. “I have a crush on Luz,” she whispers. She doesn’t know how she’ll respond.

Emira sits down next to her and Viney leans against the pole. “Did you just realize it?” she asks, still speaking softly. Amity nods. “We were dancing together and when the song was over and I saw how happy she looked, I…” She puts her head in her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Your first crush is always a lot to handle. Romantic feelings are strong and scary and can make you feel like you’re up on cloud nine or like your heart is being ripped out of your chest.” Emira leans back, propped up by her arms. “I know you’re confused and I know you feel utterly overwhelmed right now, but it’ll be okay.” She pats Amity’s back. “You don’t have to do anything about them yet, just take it slow. Just focus on having fun tonight.”

Amity stands up. “Thanks,” she murmurs. She feels better. Still scared, still confused, but better. Emira may be a pain most of the time, but she does know how to help when needed. 

“Hey, it’s no problem,” Emira says with a smile. “That’s what family is for-” Amity cuts her off with a tight hug. She never hugs her family, not even her siblings. Emira smiles and hugs her back. “Do you still want to spend the night at Luz’s?”

Amity nods, letting go. “Yeah, I do.” She tucks some loose strands of hair behind her ear, about to turn to go back to the gym. 

“If you ever need love advice you can always come to me too,” Viney says, smiling. “I may not be Emira, but I’ve been in relationships before so I know a thing or two.”

“Thanks, Viney.” Amity waves at them both.

Luz is sitting at a table when Amity comes back inside. Her fingers are drumming on the table as she looks out at the crowd. She spots her date coming back after a few seconds.

“Amity!” she exclaims, getting up. Amity’s heart flutters, the urge to run up and hug her itching at the back of her mind. Instead, she crosses her arms as she walks up to her. 

“I was gone for maybe five minutes, did you miss me that badly?” She says with a smirk. She may be aware of her feelings now, but that doesn’t mean she has to act any differently.

Luz nods, giving puppy eyes. “Yeah, I did.” Amity feels her face heat up. “Do you want to go back on the bleachers? My feet hurt.” 

They make their way up the bleachers, Luz again deciding to lean against Amity.  
“I had fun tonight,” she sighs contentedly. “This beats all the other school dances I’ve gone to by a mile.”

Amity laughs. “The night still isn’t over, dummy. Unless you don’t want me to sleep over.”

Luz pulls away and sits up straight. “No, I do! I just meant that dancing with you was fun.”

“I had fun dancing with you too, Luz.” She takes this opportunity to be the one leaning against someone. Luz is always the one leaning against her, Amity decides it’s her turn. She’s warm and smells faintly of lemons. It’s soothing.

“Aww, you’re cuddling up to me like a kitten,” Luz coos.

“It was my turn to have some fun but I guess you don’t like it done back to you,” Amity teases, pretending to sit back up. She feels Luz’s arm move out from under her and then a hand on her waist, pulling her in.

“I never said I didn’t like it,” Luz says in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Her face is turned to the side, concealing whatever expression she’s wearing.

Amity closes her eyes and pretends it’s one of embarrassment and joy, like hers is.

~~~

The dance is over, the group of five walking back to the car with their shoes in hand. Viney has her arm over Emira’s shoulder while Edric is still dancing. Luz is humming one of the songs they danced to with a bounce in her step.

They pile into the car, Amity squished between Luz and Edric. Luz sighs next to her, stretching. “That was fun!”

“It would’ve been more fun if _someone_ hadn’t ditched me,” Edric says, looking directly at Emira. “I already apologized, what more do you want? And why aren’t you chewing out Mittens, she left you too.”

“Well, first of all, she isn’t my twin. Second, she also hadn’t attended this dance before, she didn’t need me following her around. Third, she let me join her and Luz on the dance floor.” Edric says, holding up his fingers for each number. “I was the one that got us back in our group to dance together at the end.”

“Just in time to do the Chicken Dance,” Viney snickers. Edric places a hand over his heart, gasping. “How dare you insult the sacred Chicken Dance! You had fun, you were smiling the whole time.”

“Yeah, smiling at you dancing like an idiot,” Emira says from the side. 

“We were all doing the same moves!”

Amity rolls her eyes at their bickering but is enjoying it nonetheless. “Why didn’t any of you warn us about the grinding circle?” she asks. She feels Luz shudder next to her.

Edric chokes back a laugh as Emira’s eyes go wide. “Uh, I forgot. It wasn’t too scarring, was it?”

“Wouldn’t you consider seeing nearly one hundred students in a circle, half bent over and half…you know, scarring?”

“Okay, fair point. Don’t go too close to the stage next year unless you want to participate.”

Amity turns bright red and it takes all her self control not to hit her sister while she’s driving. “Emira! That’s inappropriate!”

“Sorry, I just wanted to see your reaction. You look like a tomato back there.”

With a groan, Amity hides her face in her hands. She feels the car come to a stop seconds later. “Alright, we’re at Luz’s house. You won’t have to deal with me in person until tomorrow. Have fun, you two!”

She waves as they drive off, her bag in her hands. Luz skips up to the front door, opening it for Amity. Ms. Noceda is on the couch when they enter.

“Mija, you’re back! How was the dance?” she asks.

“It was so much fun, mami! Right, Amity?”

“Yeah, it was,” Amity says shyly, She may have come to Luz’s house and seen her mother many times in the last few weeks, but she was still nervous around her.

“Why don’t you go get changed into your pajamas while I make you some hot chocolate?” Ms. Noceda tells the girls with a smile. 

Luz goes upstairs to change while Amity uses the downstairs bathroom. She slips out of her dress and into her pajamas, consisting of an oversized Azura shirt and purple bottoms dotted with small pink stars. Once she exits the bathroom she places her dress on top of her bag and puts her heels next to it. The dress might be really cute, but her sleepwear is far more comfortable.

Ms. Noceda signals for Amity to take a seat at the kitchen table, placing down a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of her. It’s in a bright orange mug and it takes her a moment to realize that it’s a fox, the tail the handle. There’s even two ears protruding above the rim.

Luz comes bounding down the stairs and Amity laughs when she sees what she’s wearing. Luz looks confused until Amity stands up, then she starts laughing too. They coincidently put on matching pajamas, Luz’s a Hecate shirt with green pants dotted with blue crescent moons.

“What an epic gamer move,” Luz says as she takes the seat next to her. Her mom gives her a mug as well, this one a gray tabby cat. She nudges Amity. “Told you it was fate.” Amity rolls her eyes. “Sure it is, Luzura.”

She takes small sips of the sweet liquid as Luz excitedly tells her mom about their night, noticing how she left out some details like the grinding circle and how Amity spent the better of fifteen minutes cuddled against her. Her mom seems thrilled that her daughter had such a good time.

I’m going to go read in my room,” she says after Luz is finished. “Try not to be too loud, okay? She disappears around the hallway and Amity can hear a door close shut.

“You want some cookies?” Luz asks, surprising her a little. After getting a nod in confirmation, she hops into the kitchen and comes back with a pack of sugar cookies.

“So,” Luz says, tearing open the package. “What do you wanna do? It’s already a little late but I still have energy left over from that dance.”

Amity grabs a cookie and dips it into her hot chocolate. “Your mom said to keep the volume down, so it has to be something quiet.” She takes a bite, thinking. “We could play a game, but all the ones I can think of require more than two people. Unless you’re okay with playing a card game.”

Luz snaps her finger. “That’s actually a really good idea! I read about one online that I’ve been wanting to try.” She runs upstairs and comes back a minute later, holding a The Good Witch Azura card deck in her hand.

“So, I shuffle the desk and split it in half. We then each keep out halves face down, flipping over the top card. Whoever has the higher number wins and takes both, if they’re the same, we flip again. The overall winner has the most cards at the end,” she explains, placing half a deck in front of Amity.

They play for the next half hour or so, Luz dubbing the game ‘Tarzan’ because she claims that swooping in to grab the cards was like Tarzan on a vine. Amity yawns as they finish their fourth game. Luz puts the cards back into the box.

“Let’s go get ready for bed, you seem tired.” Amity shakes her head. “Me, tired? No. I was just…stretching my jaw.” _Wow, good excuse there, Amity. Stretching your jaw? Really?_

“Too bad, we’re going to get ready for bed anyways. Do you want to take a shower? The gym was really hot.” She puts the cookies away and the empty mugs in the sink. “There’s towels below the cabinet, you can use the shampoo in there. I’ll go set up my room so you have somewhere to sleep, so take your time. You’re gonna love it.” She shoots finger guns at Amity as she heads upstairs. “There’s also makeup remover wipes on the counter,” she calls out from the stairway.

 _Well, guess I don’t have a choice._ Amity grabs her toiletry bag and closes the door behind her. She carefully removes her makeup, disposes of the dirtied wipe, and turns on the shower. The shampoo smells like lemons, which explains why Luz smelled like them earlier.

Luz doesn’t come down until Amity is done, hair dried, and brushing her teeth. “I made you a little blanket nest,” she says, proud of herself. “It’s some of my finest work.”

It really turns out to be a blanket nest. A couple blankets on the floor as a makeshift mattress, with more around them, forming a wall. A handful of pillows are in the next as well, almost looking like eggs. Amity smiles. It’s absolutely adorable and very Luz.

She then remembers Luz doesn’t know how to work a hairdryer. Instead of waiting in her blanket nest she waits downstairs, Luz not expecting her to be there when she opens the door. 

“I, uh, was going to offer to dry your hair for you, as a thank you for letting me stay over,” she says shyly, playing with her hands.

Luz gives a big smile. She sits on top of the toilet seat as Amity dries her hair, the scent of lemons heavy in the air. If she notices Amity’s hands trembling slightly, she doesn’t say anything.

Minutes later Amity sets the hair dryer down, ruffling Luz’s hair. “You really like my hair, don’t you?” Luz says. Amity blushes. “I-It’s really soft and fluffy,” she tries to defend herself.

Luz yawns. “You can play with it later but for now let's go upstairs.” Amity stifles one herself as she follows her friend. Luz plops herself into the middle of the blanket nest, limbs spread out like a starfish.

“You’re taking up all the room.” Luz sits up and scoots over, watching as she pulls something out of her bag. “Whatcha got there?”

Amity sheepishly shows her. “It’s my security blanket. My third one, specifically, because the other two are worn down to threads.” She’s holding a bundle of minty, aqua colored fabric, the ends fraying a little.

“Why didn’t you use it at our last sleepover?” Luz asks, tilting her head to the side. Amity presses the blanket up to her face, relaxing as the cool material makes contact with her skin. “I guess I was embarrassed. I don’t _need_ to sleep with it, it just brings me comfort. My old friends used to make fun of me for it, so I’d hide it from them.”

“We’ve already established and seen firsthand that you old friends suck,” Luz states. “I sleep with a plushie when I’m sad, which isn’t that different.” She points to a pink dragon sitting on her bed. “I’m a new friend, you don’t need to hide it from me,” she offers.

“Guess we both have our quirks,” Amity says as she lies down. “And thanks, Luz.” Luz smiles and pulls a couple blankets over them, momentarily standing up to tug on the string. The lights turn off and glow in the dark stars become visible on the ceiling.

“That’s really cute,” Amity chuckles. Luz doesn’t reply. Her eyes haven’t quite adjusted to the dark yet, but she can tell from Luz’s slow breathing that she’s fallen asleep already. Which is actually pretty impressive: it hasn’t even been a minute yet.

“Goodnight, Luz,” she whispers as she closes her eyes. She’s glad her first crush is on someone as sweet as Luz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda fell asleep in the process of revising this chapter and I'm still really tired so uhhhhhh 420 kudos and I'll draw art for one of the chapters and put it in
> 
> I love seeing your comments! and guest Diamond I see you commenting a lot, I'm glad you're enjoying this fic so much
> 
> one last thing my twitter is @amitylovemail and my dms are always open, don't be afraid to talk to me if you want to, I don't bite. I'm really just an anxious mess that nearly cried when someone reached out to me on twitter a couple days ago because it made me so happy
> 
> I'll leave you with a cursed thought: hooty with human teeth


	10. Dragon Eggs, a Familiar Face, and Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Amity thinks her life couldn't get any better, it does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's nearly 4:30 am so here take this chapter I wrote due to anxiety over classes

Amity swings her legs as she impatiently waits for first period to end, glancing at the clock every few seconds. They’re doing a lab in biology today, something she’s really excited about. She loves doing hands-on things in school and she also gets to talk to Luz the entire period instead of just the beginning and end of class. 

The second the first note plays, Amity is out of her chair. There’s no need to hurry, her class is only one floor down and halfway across this section of the school, but she’s excited to see Luz. Even if they saw each other this morning already. Oh, and the lab. Her mind totally still isn’t on Luz all the time.

She makes it to class before her, fingers tapping on her desk as she stares intently at the door. Amity breaks into a huge grin when she sees Luz enter. 

“Luz!”

“Hey, lemon drop! You seem excited.” Luz says as she walks over to her desk. 

Amity freezes and turns pink. She’d been given that nickname the morning after her sleepover when Luz commented on how she smelled like lemons. It may be embarrassing but under no circumstances does she want her to stop, even if she nearly had a heart attack the first time. 

Suddenly Luz’s eyes widen in realization. “Right, we have that lab today!”

Regaining her composure, Amity replies. “I literally told you that just an hour ago, how did you forget already?”

“Well, if you didn’t know, history is boring. I swear time slows down in that class even if I doodle the whole time. Why is a class called World History mostly about Europe and America!? I already spent my entire education before now learning about those two places and it’s _boring_ ,” Luz exclaims as she puts her head on her desk in exasperation.

Amity hums next to her. “Yeah, Emira and Edric said that class was pretty boring, even by their standards.” Her crush just groans into her desk. 

“I wish I had the correct attention span to have been able to take the AP class, that one seems so much more fun.”

“Most students don’t take AP classes until junior year and we’re freshmen. It’s a lot of work and you have to pay to take the final test for potential college credit.” Amity pats her back, trying to comfort her. Luz just groans even louder. 

The second bell rings and the teacher explains the lab, passing out the worksheet. Luz and Amity head to their lab table in the back, the only one that isn’t shared with another group. 

“Huh, never knew plants have more than one cell type,” Luz says as she looks at her paper. “They have some real funky names, too.”

Amity giggles when Luz tries to pronounce them. She scrapes off a little bit of the potato and smears it onto a microscope slide. “Here, you want to add the iodine?”

Luz sticks out her tongue as she tries to very carefully only add one drop onto the slide. It’s adorable and Amity is glad she’s too focused on her task to notice she’s being stared at. 

She thanks her and puts a second slide on top, placing it underneath the microscope. After making sure it’s on, she lets Luz take the first look. It takes a moment but there’s an audible gasp that follows. 

“Wow, look at this!” They look like scales.” She pulls back and looks over at Amity. “Do you think potatoes descended from reptiles? Or reptiles from potatoes?” she asks, a completely serious expression on her face. 

God, she’s just too cute. “Neither, you dork,” she says as she motions for her friend to take a step to the side. She has to adjust the lens slightly for a clearer image, but they really do look like scales. “Huh, maybe you’re onto something.”

“It hurts that you doubted me, you know.” Although Amity can’t see her she can tell she’s smiling. “To be fair, your theory sounded a bit ridiculous. Though now all I can imagine is a scaly potato.”

Luz snaps her fingers. “Dragon egg. Potatoes are dragon eggs that turned into a vegetable. And no,” she cuts Amity off when she lifts her head to say something. “I don’t take criticism.”

“Alright, miss fantasy expert.” She rolls her eyes playfully and she begins to sketch what the cells look like onto her worksheet. She doesn’t hear the teacher walk up to her until she speaks. 

“We have a new student, would you mind letting her join your group?”

In all honesty, Amity does. She enjoys this time with Luz and having a table all to themselves, not to mention how bad she is with new people. 

But Luz doesn’t hesitate to say yes, sounding excited to have someone else in her group. Maybe this new girl is nice and they could all be friends. Or she could be a bully, but Luz’s optimism is rubbing off on her. 

When Amity turns to face the new student, her eyes nearly pop out of her head, completely and utterly shocked. The girl is wearing the exact same expression.

“Wait, do you know each oth…” Luz stops as she recalls something from weeks earlier. “ _Oh_.”

“Willow,” Amity breathes, still not believing her eyes. The girl in front of her is unmistakably Willow. 

They stare in silence at each other, Luz to the side with a hand over her mouth. Willow suddenly jumps at Amity, wrapping her in a rather tight hug. “Amity! Oh my stars, is it really you?” 

She pulls back and Amity can feel hot tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. “Yeah, it is,” she says with a shaky voice and a smile. 

“I missed you so much! You still look the exact same! Asides for,” she gestures at her dyed hair. “That.”

Amity wipes a tear away. “I missed you too.” Her voice chokes when she tries to say more, too overwhelmed by suddenly having her childhood best friend back in town and in the same class as her. 

Willow keeps one arm around Amity and turns to Luz. “Hi, I’m Willow. Amity and I were friends when we were little.” She sticks out a hand.

Luz squeals, grabbing her hand in hers instead of shaking it. “I know! I saw pictures of you two in a photo album at Amity’s house. She was really sad when talking about you.”

Amity laughs, still a little choked up. “Wow, way to just expose me like that, Luz.”

“Aw, you missed me even four years after I had moved away?” Willow says with a smirk. 

Blushing, Amity clears her throat. “Maybe a little,” she admits. “But anyways, we should work on this lab. Luz still has to draw the cells of her ‘dragon eggs’.”

When Willow gives a confused look Luz jumps in. “The cells of this potato look like scales so I personally think potatoes and reptiles are somehow related and Amity mentioned a scaled potato so now potatoes are just dragon eggs that turned into a plant over time,” she says all in one breath. Willow just blinks a few times and laughs. “I can see why you two are friends.”

The rest of biology passes all too quickly, Willow still possessing an amazing amount of plant knowledge. They discover they have lunch together as well, and the next two classes are agony. 

Well, art class isn’t because she has it with Luz, who asks a lot about Willow. They seemed to get along really well in the short time they interacted with one another, which makes Amity extremely happy. Tension between her crush and childhood best friend is something she doesn’t want to deal with.

Finally, it’s lunchtime and Willow manages to find the pair on her own. Because of Amity’s bright hair, she claims, not because Luz was actually standing up and waving her arms around wildly.

“So, why’d you suddenly move back?” Luz asks, tapping a carrot stick against its plastic container. 

“My dad was able to get his job transferred back here. And because...other reasons.” She averts her eyes, her voice doing that thing when she doesn’t want to talk about something. We moved back a few weeks ago but I somehow caught mono so I couldn’t come to school.”

Willow takes a sip out of her flower patterned water bottle. “We actually managed to buy back our old house! All our little flower drawings are still on the closet walls.”

Amity nearly forgot about those. “Oh yeah! That one winter it was really cold and we were too impatient for it to become warm for flowers to bloom, so we made our own little flower field in her closet with sharpie.”

“Hey, what are you doing in a public high school? I thought your parents said they’d put you in private school once you finished fourth grade.”

“Well,” Amity hesitates. Not even Luz knows the exact reason. She has an idea, but didn’t know she was technically a bully herself all those years. “Reasons, partially because Ed and Em got kicked out for causing too much trouble. I think they also didn’t want to drive me there themselves since my siblings have their licenses now.” She pauses to take a sip of her soy milk. “There are also other reasons, but overall I was just sick of that place.”

“Oh, Emira and Edric! How are they doing?” Willow’s face lights up as she remembers Amity’s mischievous older siblings.

“Oh, they’re thriving here. Still as annoying as ever, though.”

“Emira has a girlfriend,” Luz blurts out. Willow’s eyes widen and she turns to Amity for confirmation.

“They’re not _actually_ dating, but they’re very clearly into each other. They ditched Edric at the dance last weekend as soon as we got in.”

“Aw man,” Luz sighs. “You just barely missed homecoming. I’m sure it would’ve been fun in a group of three.”

Amity raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying you didn’t have fun with me? Especially when you were the one who asked me to go with you in the first place?”

She swears she sees Luz blush. “No, of course I had fun with you! A lot of fun, actually,” she says quickly, hands up in front of her. Her eyebrows furrow. “Wait, if you were technically my date that would’ve meant Willow was third wheeling, and that’s a little mean to do to her. But Edric was too, though he was stood up, so…”

“You didn’t fully answer the question, Luz,” Amity says with a smirk. 

Willow just watches everything with amusement. “How long have you two been friends?” she asks. 

“Oh, since the first day of school,” Luz replies. “I moved here over the summer.”

“Only that long?” Willow seems surprised. “You guys banter like you’ve been friends for years. And I know firsthand Amity has trouble getting close to people.”

Luz leans against Amity. “Told you it was fate,” she sings.

Amity’s heart skips a beat. “If you call nearly running me over before first period even started because you were nose deep in a book fate, then sure, it was fate.”

“You recognized the The Good Witch Azura book I was reading and agreed to be my friend a minute later, so yes I’m calling it fate.”

“Sure thing, _Luzura_.”

Luz scoffs, pretending to be offended. “You’re one to talk, _Hecamity_.”

Willow laughs from their right. “Gods, you two are perfect for each other. I have to agree with Luz, it was definitely fate.”

Amity smiles as Luz nuzzles father into her. “Maybe you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> willow makes an appearance! and she's here to stay! they also stayed on good terms when she moved away, just fell out of touch. I wonder how amity will feel when she realizes she doesn't get nearly as much alone time with luz because willow is her friend now too
> 
> also, I dunno if I even need to add this, but please refrain from mentioning of willumity in the comments. I have some trauma from a poly sapphic relationship I was in last year (long story but basically I was under the impression it was monogamous but surprise she had another girlfriend) and with how much I project onto amity I just can't handle it at the moment\
> 
> anyways! thank you so much for over 5k views, it really means a lot to me and I've decided from here on I'll reply to every comment you all leave! let me know what you think so far :3


	11. Willow Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter, life reasons

It’s early Saturday morning when Amity wakes up, way earlier than normal for a weekend. Unable to fall back asleep, she drags herself out of bed and downstairs to grab something to drink, opening her phone on the way down.

The wooden floors are cool against her feet, a feeling she actually quite likes. It helps wake her up a little too, though there’s only so much outside sources can do when you’re running on under six hours of sleep.

Her siblings seem to still be asleep and her parents, once again, are off on some business trip somewhere. The house is quiet, the soft pitter patter of her own footsteps all Amity can hear. The fridge hums as she tugs it open, searching for something to drink.

She pours herself a glass of mango juice, surprised Edric didn’t finish it off already. The microwave clock says it’s only 7:15 at the moment, but to her it feels way earlier. Maybe because she slept so poorly.

Out of the corner of her eye Amity sees a message pop up on her phone screen. She pulls her feet up onto the chair, sitting with her knees to her chest as she unlocks her phone. The message is from Willow. Even as a child she’d always been a morning person.

_[Willow]: can I come over later I have a dire question that needs answering  
**[Amity]: and you can’t ask it over text because?**  
[Willow]: oh you’re awake  
[Willow]: did fancy private school turn you into a morning person while I was away?  
**[Amity]: I wouldn’t be up right now if I had a choice but my body thinks that it’s a weekday  
[Amity]: you didn’t answer my question**  
[Willow]: because you can’t ignore me so easily in person, duh  
[Willow]: if texting is anything like when we used to email one another, you’ll avoid anything you don’t want to answer  
**[Amity]:ugh**  
[Willow]: so can I come over?  
**[Amity]: you can come now if you get your own ride**  
[Willow]: give me half an hour!_

Amity smiles. Willow had been too busy to visit in the last couple weeks, and as much as she loves spending time with Luz, it’s refreshing to spend it with someone you don’t want to kiss. With a yawn she puts her empty cup on the counter and heads back upstairs.

By the time Willow arrives Amity has only managed to brush her hair and put new clothes on. As she opens the front door, she’s surprised to see Willow panting and her face flushed. She stares at her friend for a moment and then sighs.

“Did you ride your bike here?” Willow nods, taking a sip from the water bottle in her hand. “You live only two miles away and it’s nice out today.”

Shaking her head, Amity lets Willow enter the house. “What was this ‘dire question’ you have to ask me?”

“Oh, yes, that! Let’s go upstairs first.” Willow puts her hands together, smiling sweetly. Amity doesn’t trust her smile.

Up in her room, Amity takes the granola bar out of her pocket and begins to eat it, sitting on her bed. “Okay, we’re upstairs. What is it.”

Carefully closing the door behind her, Willow looks Amity straight in the eye. “You have a crush on Luz, don’t you?”

Amity nearly chokes on her breakfast. She spends a good ten or so seconds coughing before she can speak. “ _That_ is what you wanted to see me in person for?”

Willow only smirks. “You didn’t answer my question.” 

“N-no, of course I don’t. I don’t know where you got such an absurd idea,” Amity squeaks, head turned to the side and eyes shut.

“Your face is bright pink.”

“Because I was just choking,” Amity retorts.

Willow puts her hands up. “Okay, that’s a fair excuse. But that doesn’t explain why you always seem to have a sunburn while around Luz at school, or why I’ve seen you smile more the last two weeks than I had before I moved.”

“I…” she starts, racking her brain for something, anything that could explain either of those things. She eventually gives up, flopping onto her back with a loud groan. “Okay, fine, maybe I do. Satisfied now?”

Her friend squeals, running up to her bed. “I knew it! I could actually tell from the first day I was at school. You’ve never acted like that to anyone before.” She sits down next to her, swinging her legs. “You were gone the last four years, you don’t know what I was like in middle school.” Amity’s voice is muffled beneath her hands.

“Well, did you like anyone in middle school?”

There's a moment of silence and then Amity pulls her hands away from her face. “No,” she admits, sitting back up. “Luz is my first ever crush. Go ahead and laugh, I know I’m a late bloomer when it comes to love.”

“Actually, I don’t think you are.”

She wasn’t expecting that answer. Willow sighs and stills her legs. “I still haven’t felt romantic attraction to anyone and I’m beginning to think I’m just not capable of loving anyone that way. So, if anyone is a late bloomer here, it’s me. I’m not upset about it or anything though,” she quickly adds when she sees Amity giving her a concerned look. “I don’t feel anything pleasant when I think about kissing someone, girl or boy, and I’m alright with it. Friendship is enough for me.”

She pauses and then smirks. “But I bet you feel butterflies in your stomach when you think about kissing Luz, don’t you?” Amity’s beet red face is more than enough of an answer.

“You know,” she says, playing with her hands, “I first realized I like her when I had the sudden thought ‘god, I want to kiss her’ at the dance the other week. It’s a good thing Emira found me before I had a panic attack in the hallway.”

Amity runs a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath before continuing. “She was surprisingly helpful and calmed me down enough so I was able to return to Luz. But once she notices I’ve adjusted to all these feelings I know she’ll start teasing me.”

“Do you know what you want to do with them yet or are you still figuring it out?” Willow asks in a soft voice.

“I don’t know if she even likes girls, Willow. Her going to the school’s gay club doesn’t mean anything.”

Willow sighs and rubs her forehead. “Amity, I know you can be a little oblivious sometimes, but she literally has a bisexual flag pin on her backpack.” She types into her phone and holds it up to Amity. “See?”

“...I thought she just liked those colors,” Amity admits. Bringing her hands up to her face, she turns pink again. “Oh my god, she’s into girls. And I’m a girl.” Her friend pats her back as she processes this earth shattering revelation.

Suddenly she bolts upright. “Luz doesn’t know what I’m into.” Her amber eyes widen. “How am I supposed to tell her that? ‘Hey, so in the two months we’ve known each other I’ve discovered that I’m into girls! Might be because of you and your stupidly cute face, but you have no proof of that.’” Amity groans and folds herself in half. “Ugh, I can’t even do a pretend version right!”

There’s silence for a moment and then Willow speaks. “Ask her to go out and do something with you tomorrow. You both like books, go to a bookstore or something and find where they keep the shoujo ai manga.”

“Okay, that’s actually a really good idea.” Amity unfolds herself and stands up, rummaging through a drawer. After a minute she holds up a gift card. “A perfect excuse!”

“Amity, your family is literally rich, you don’t need a gift card to go to a bookstore.” Willow huffs. Amity glares at her, clutching the card to her chest. “I’m doing my best here, okay? Give me a break.”

She watches as Amity places it carefully on top of her desk. “What now?”

“Invite her to go with you,” she says with an incredulous look. 

“Right! Right, I can’t do anything alone, after all,” Amity nervously laughs, unlocking her phone again. Her thumbs hover over the screen as she thinks of what to type.

**_[Amity]: I found a gift card for barnes and nobles in my room, want to go with me tomorrow?_ **

“There, it’s done, I’m going to go die in a hole if she says no.” She takes a shaky breath, trying to steady herself, before looking back at her phone. To her surprise, Luz has already responded.

_[Luzura]: oh my god YES  
**[Amity]: oh good I was afraid you’d refuse**  
[Luzura]: I could never refuse someone as cute as you and on a date to a bookstore on top of it!!! _

Amity nearly falls over, causing Willow to get up to see what she wrote. She takes the phone from her to reply as Amity seems to be overheating.

_**[Amity] is 11 good for you? it’s in the mall so we can get lunch there too**  
[Luzura]: I’ll see you then lemon drop ;3 _

Willow puts the phone back in Amity’s hand and watches as she somehow turns an even darker shade of red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy that was fun to write. wingwoman willow here to set amity up with luz because she has eyes and can see that they're into one another
> 
> author fun fact: I thought I was aromantic until I was 16 when I had crushes on two girls at the same time so really I'm the late bloomer here. thinking about kissing boys made me uneasy but thoughts of kissing those two girls made mu heart flutter
> 
> I'll try to make next chapter longer to make up for this one being short and since we reached my kudos goal I'll also include some art!! thank you all so much for the views and kudos, it means a lot to me


	12. Luz Discovers What is Wrong With Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu

Luz nervously bounces in the front seat as her mom’s car approaches the mall. Her fingers tap on the side of the door as they pull into the parking lot. She’s not ready for this.

“You seem excited, cariño.”

She jumps when her mom speaks to her. “Yeah, I’m excited. That’s absolutely why I look so jittery,” she says, forcing a laugh at the end. “Super excited!”

Ms. Noceda gives her daughter a warm smile. It doesn’t seem she’s picked up on her child’s unease. “Let me know if you need a ride back home later, okay? Have fun,” she calls out as Luz exits the car and heads towards the entrance.

She waves goodbye as the car pulls away and disappears out of sight. Leaning against one of the cement pillars out front, she puts her head in her hands. On the way here she kept telling herself this is a problem for future Luz to handle. Now she is future Luz, without a solution.

She’s done things with Amity outside of school before. Two sleepovers, the dance, the arcade, dress shopping, not to mention the many times they’ve been over to each other’s houses. 

So why is she so nervous today? It doesn’t make sense. Maybe because Amity was the one to invite Luz to do something this time. Or maybe because she referred to the outing as a ‘date’ for some reason and then called her friend the dumb little nickname she gave her. 

Yeah, she thinks it’s because of the second option. Her response may have been a bit flirty but friends flirt, right? Isn’t that a normal thing close friends do, regardless of who they’re into? Amity would have told her ages ago if it made her uncomfortable.

Music from her pocket interrupts her spiral of thoughts. It’s definitely not Amity’s favorite song from the first The Good Witch Azura movie and she definitely didn’t set that as Amity’s ringtone. “H-hello?” She winces at how squeaky her voice sounds. 

“Luz? You weren’t answering your texts so I thought I’d call and see where you were. Are you lost?”

Luz pulls down her notifications and sees several missed messages. “Sorry, I got a little lost in thought. I just got here, I’m at the, uh…” She looks around to see if this specific entrance has a name somewhere. “South entrance I think. The one with all the impressive looking pillars that I’m low-key kinda scared will fall on me.”

“Ah, that’s the one I’m near. The only thing that can take down those pillars is a tornado. Hold on, I’ll come get you.”

Luz has about ten second to pull herself together. She turns just in time to see the greenish haired girl—what color is that exactly? Teal? Seagreen? Mint?—poke her head outside of a door and wave.

Her roots have grown out a bit, showing her rather pretty natural brown hair. She wonders if she’ll grow it out or bleach it again. Luz smiles, running up to her and nearly knocking her over with a hug. Amity hugs back with a giggle. “You saw me on Friday and you’re acting like it’s been months.” Luz’s only reply is hugging her tighter.

She never realized just how pretty Amity’s laugh is. It sounds like a windchime. She feels the other girl leave her grip, holding the second set of doors in front of them open. “Come on, it’s cold out today.”

They stand on the inside of the entrance, Luz rubbing her hands together to warm them up while Amity looks at a map. She had been so focused on freaking out while waiting outside that she didn’t feel the temperature at all.

While Amity is preoccupied, Luz studies her side profile. She’s still just as pretty as she has been every time she saw her at school, her features more defined than Luz’s are. Her mouth is open slightly, index finger resting on her bottom lip.

 _I wonder how soft her l-_

Luz pinches herself. Nope, not having those thoughts now. She’ll save them for later. Not that she’d have any use for them later or anything. _Focus on her outfit for now. Keep your eyes off her face._

Amity is in a purple school hoodie (a little odd because the school colors are blue and yellow), navy blue skirt with pointed edges, and blue leggings. Her boots match the skirt, buckles in the shape of crescent moons.

Luz looks down at her outfit. Purple and white striped shirt, blue capris, army green jacket, and maroon beanie. Did she dress okay? It’s a bit toned down to what she usually wears to school. 

“Hey.” Luz yelps and stumbles backward, Amity suddenly inches away from her. She stares at her for a moment, noticing the faint freckles scattered along Amity’s cheekbones. She couldn’t see those from a distance. “Sorry! You were spaced out and weren’t answering me. Do you have something you want to do first?”

Blushing, she shakes her head and readjusts her beanie. “The only times I’ve been here were those two times I went with you.” God, did she have to be so much prettier up close? Who gave her that right? “So nope, all up to you,” she says with a pair of finger guns. Hopefully that manages to mask how flustered she is.

Amity rocks on her feet. “We can stop anywhere that looks interesting to you then. Barnes & Nobles is about halfway through the mall and I’m in no hurry to get there.” She stops, Luz freezing in place and she watches Amity look her up and down. “You look nice. Strange, but nice.”

“Was that a compliment or an insult?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. Rolling her eyes, her friend spins on her heel, leaving Luz to look at her backside. “It was a compliment, you moron. Though I do miss the way you usually dress.”

Gasping, Luz walks up next to her, leaning forward. “Are you saying that you _miss_ my adorable sense of style?” With a scoff, Amity playfully pushes her to the side. “First off, it’s not adorable, it’s dorky. And secondly, yes, because all this,” she gestures to her, “is too mature for you. It’s weird.”

“Says the girl who is in heels right now.” Amity blushes, sputtering. “They’re boots, not heels!”

“Sure, but that still looks like a heel to me.”

Running a hand down her face, Amity takes a deep breath. The store to their right catches her attention and her eyes light up with an idea coming to mind. “Come here, I have a surprise to show you. Actually, keep your eyes shut.”

Luz squints. “That sounds pretty fishy. How am I supposed to know where to go with my eyes shut? I already run into things with them open.”

“Because I’ll lead you there. Here,” she holds out a hand. “You can even hold my hand until we’re there. You can trust me.” Staring at her outstretched hand for a moment, Luz closes her eyes and takes it. Her heart is racing, Amity’s hand warm in hers. She prays she can’t tell that she’s trembling.

She’s led throughout a store, Amity carefully directing her to their destination. Luz can hear water when they stop, which is odd considering that they’re in the middle of a store. “You can open your eyes now, Luz.”

There’s a large tank full of freshwater fish in front of her. That explains the sound she heard. Curiosity taking over, she drops Amity’s hand and runs up to press her face against the glass. “Oh my gosh, look at them all! They’re all so big. Absolute units.”

“I knew you’d like it,” Amity says from behind. “It’s so peaceful watching them swim around. Edric and Emira would bring me over here when I was younger because I liked it so much.” 

Luz just nods, too mesmerized by fish she’s never seen in person before being so close.

~~~

They stop at a few stores on their way, all of them being a toy or game store or some version of Hot Topic. Amity can say with full confidence that she’s not surprised in the slightest.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to go into some of these.”

Luz turns her head. “Well, you are a dork like me after all. But why haven’t you gone in some of these sooner?”

“Boscha.” Amity’s voice has a bite in it. 

“Ah, makes sense. These stores are too cool for her, after all.”

That makes her laugh, that wonderful windchime-like sound filling the air. Luz’s heart flutters as she catches a glimpse of Amity’s smiling face but quickly turns to scan the items on display around her. 

She doesn’t want to admit something she already knows is true, not just yet. Or ever, if it can be helped. 

“She’s too much of a jock to appreciate the finer things in life. Like this,” Amity holds up a pair of socks with rainbow unicorn cats. “What are these? Caticorns? Not to mention she’s extremely homophobic and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything rainbow.”

Luz scrunches her nose. “How did you put up with her for four years? She sounds absolutely insufferable.” With a laugh, Amity puts the socks back on the shelf. “Look at you, using fancy words. I basically tuned her out and pretended I was paying attention. She never caught on. And, another thing.”

Leaning into Luz, she whispers in her ear. “I’m pretty sure her homophobia stems from her denial to accept who she’s attracted to. She totally had a crush on one of the cheerleaders in seventh grade.”

She pulls away, finger idly running along the edge of a shelf. “And since she didn’t know how to handle it she bullied her for the entire year. Someone needs to tell Boscha we aren't in preschool anymore and that having same sex relationships in this country has been legal for a long time.”

Before Luz can reply, Amity is gone from beside her. It takes a moment to locate her over by the DVD racks. She’s flipping through white pieces of cardstock, muttering something under her breath.

Unable to find what she’s looking for, she stands up with a disappointed sigh and nearly runs into Luz. Luz’s arms dart out to help keep Amity upright. They make eye contact for what feels like an eternity, amber eyes staring into light brown.

Giggling nervously, Luz lets go and averts her gaze. “Sorry, I kinda snuck up on you there.”

She can hear Amity’s hair swishing as she shakes her head. “No, I was lost in thought trying to find that The Good Witch Azura DVD here. They don’t have it, obviously. They never do.”

Dear god she looks too cute with her hands on her hips and a pout on her face.

“You ready to go explore some books?” Amity catches Luz staring at her and her cheeks turn pink. 

Luz feels her face heat up and she awkwardly rubs the back of her neck. “Y-yeah, book time!” She pumps a fist in the air while screaming internally. 

They’re in the manga section on the second floor. Luz is reading through the first volume of a popular title, intrigued until she sees that a character has already been killed off. She reads through a little more, slamming the book shut and placing it back on the shelf. 

Human farms in a demon world isn’t her cup of tea, apparently. 

Amity is farther down the aisle, so she joins her. Maybe she’s looking at something interesting. She was the one that seemed dead set on checking this aisle, after all.

There’s a magical girl series in Amity’s hands. The sixth volume, by the look of it. “I never pegged you as a magical girl type of girl,” she says teasingly.

With a jump Amity closes her book and looks up to see Luz looking down at her. She averts her eyes, fingers tightening around the book. 

Luz sits down besides her, the first volume in her hand. “There’s nothing wrong with it at all. Magical girls are basically just Japan’s modern version of witches, right?”

“I never thought of it that way,” Amity replies in a quiet voice. “But you’re right. Though their powers are granted to them usually through an object, they’re not born with it. Their outfits are a lot cuter too.” She traces the outline of a character on the cover. 

“Can’t argue there, they really are. Bows and frills aren’t all too common for witches. Ooh, this is a romance series? You have my attention now, cutesy magic book.”

Luz begins reading while Amity continues staring at the cover. A while passes in peaceful silence, Amity lost in her thoughts, Luz absorbed in the story.

“I like girls.”

That snaps Luz back to reality and she looks over at the girl next to her. Her hand is over her mouth and her eyes are wide.

“I didn’t mean to say that,” she whispers. “I mean, I did, but not like that. Oh my god, what is wrong with me.”

Luz stays quiet and puts a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “I’m glad you were comfortable enough to tell me,” she says gently. Her body is tense, limbs drawn against her torso like magnets. She only does that when she’s nervous.

Amity relaxes a bit under her touch. “I still don’t know what my sexuality is specifically, but I’m positive I like girls. Is there a term for that?”

“I think relationships between two girls are referred to as sapphic.”

There’s more silence.

“I like girls. I’m sapphic.” Amity leans her head back, repeating the two sentences. She laughs a little, bringing a hand to her forehead. “It feels really good to say that out loud.”

“I’m bi,” Luz blurts out before clamping her mouth shut. _Luz, you fool, this was Amity’s moment. You didn’t have to say that._

“I know.” She can see Amity giving her a soft smile out of the corner of her eye. “You have a bisexual flag pin on your school backpack, right?”

Luz completely forgot about that. “Right, I do.” Well, now this is awkward. She came out to a girl—her best friend—who already knew she’s bi. A girl that she-

Even knowing Amity is into girls, she still can’t bring herself to accept the truth. 

“Even so, I’m happy knowing you’re comfortable enough with me to say it out loud.” She puts a hand on top of the one Luz forgot to remove from her shoulder. Her thumb brushes over her knuckles, sending tingles down Luz’s spine. “You’re a good friend, Luz.”

Friend.

That single word breaks down the wall she has been trying so hard to maintain. The feelings she didn’t want to admit, the feelings that only ended happily in fairytales. Not for people like her. 

But now, she can’t deny them. She knows what they are, she’s felt them before. But they were never this intense.

Luz has a crush on Amity. And a bad one, at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, my first chapter from luz's pov! I didn't realize literally all of the others were from amity's, I may have been projecting just a little too hard. this chapter was supposed to be longer but you can see why I wanted to end it where it did. now I get to start writing the fun stuff! haven't made any art to add in yet because depression is a bitch but it'll come eventually.
> 
> also points to whoever can correctly name the store they were in before the bookstore and what manga luz was reading first (not the second one because it doesn't exist I made it up to throw in that amity likes magical girls)


	13. Lessons in Love and Newfound Confidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two POVs this chapter!

Willow’s phone starts ringing in the early afternoon. The caller ID shows Luz’s name, which is a little odd. If anyone were to call her she would’ve expected it to be Amity. Aren’t they supposed to be on their little date right now anyways?

She clicks accept, spinning side to side in her chair. “Hello?”

“Willow.” Luz sounds panicked. “I don’t know what to do and you’re the only one I can think of to help me and I’m totally freaking out right now.”

“Wait, did something happen?” Willow is a little concerned now, stopping her spinning. “Are you okay?”

“Yes and also no, I… God, this is embarrassing, but I kinda sorta,” her voice gets quiet. “Have a crush on Amity.”

Willow coughs to hide her laugh. “How long have you known?”

“A while but I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I guess. Some part of me knows it won’t end well and was trying to prevent it. All my other crushes have.”

“Luz,” she says softly. “You don’t know that. And this is Amity we’re talking about, she cares about you more than just about anything. She would never do anything to hurt you.”

She hears Luz sigh. “Really?” she asks, her voice a little hopeful.

“Mhm. Now tell me what happened.”

“I have to be fast because I’m waiting for Amity while she’s in the bathroom and we’re going to lunch right after. We were at the bookstore in the manga section and I went over to her and made small talk about magical girls and then all of a sudden she tells me she likes girls and my insides start going all fuzzy. She panicked a little I helped calm her down and told her I was glad she was comfortable enough to tell me and then for _some reason_ I come out as bi which apparently she already knew because I totally forgot about that pin on my backpack and she says the same thing to me but puts her hand over mine and runs her thumb over my knuckles and says I’m a good friend and that last word made me think ‘I want to be more than just your friend.’ So now here I am on the phone with you unable to stop thinking about how unfairly pretty she is and how soft her lips look and how badly I wanna hold her hand again and she should be coming back literally any second now.”

“Wow,” Willow laughs. “You said that all really fast. You have a chance with Amity though. Do you want to take that chance?”

Luz is silent. “I’m scared I’ll lose the first friend I’ve had in years, but yes. I really like her and I think she’s the type of person that wouldn’t hate me if I had feelings for her.” There’s a tone in her voice that Willow has never heard from her before. Optimistic but terrified of heartbreak. “At least, I really hope she is. School would become pretty awkward if she isn’t.”

“Luz, listen to me. Just focus on having fun the rest of today and take some time to get used to your not so new feelings, okay? Don’t worry about any ‘what if’ scenarios. You’re in the present, not the future. I can help you figure out what you want to do later on.”

Luz sighs and there’s the sound of her phone being moved around. “Okay. Thank you, Willow.”

“Not a problem, Luz. Come to me if you ever need help with anything, alright?”

“I will. Oh, Amity’s coming black so I gotta go. Bye!”

“Bye.”

Stretching back in her chair, she closes her eyes. From day one she could tell there was something more than simply Amity having a crush between these two, and now she knows. 

There’s a message waiting for her when she looks back at her phone

[Amity]: I did it!!! I came out to luz!!! and she came out to me in return and god she was so close to me and she smelled like that lemon scented shampoo she uses  
[Amity]: but I called her ‘a good friend’ which hurt my heart because I want to be more and now I feel guilty because I lied to her because she is a good friend I just want her to be my girlfriend instead

Willow snickers. If only she knew what calling Luz a friend really did to her she would completely short circuit.

Leaving the wingwoman role to Willow was a bit of a mistake though, since an aromantic person is only capable of helping so much with romance. The logical side she can see clearly, but the emotional side? A little tricky. Luckily for her, she knows exactly who else can help. 

“Hello?” A voice on the other end picks up with a smile in their voice. “What can I do for you, Willow?”

“I need your help with a top secret project. But before I say anything else I need you to agree that you won’t tell anyone else about it without my approval and you especially won’t let Amity or Luz know anything about it.”

“Interesting, but what’s the punishment if I go against my word?”

“I’ll tell Edric that Viney went to homecoming with you as a date and not just as a friend. Imagine how he’ll feel knowing he was actually the third wheel because he was the only one to get stood up.”

“Oho, playing dirty, are we? I didn’t know you had it in you to blackmail someone like that. Alright, I promise. Wait, how did you know that about me and Viney-“

“That’s not what’s important here, Emira. What is important is Operation Mad L.A.D.”

“Considering you said this is something I can’t let Mittens and her little crush know about, I think I know where you’re going with this. And I like it.”

Willow smiles. She knew, even without blackmail, that Emira would be willing to help. “Aka Make Luz and Amity Date. Luz called me just a little bit ago saying she has a crush on Amity and wants to pursue it since Amity came out to her and she knows she has a chance. And at the same time Amity sent me a text saying she wants Luz to be her girlfriend.”

“Aww, Mittens was brave enough to tell Luz that she likes girls? I’m so proud of her. She’s growing up so fast.”

“Don’t let Amity know you know she did that, though,” she says sternly. “She’ll officially come out to you when she’s ready to.”

Emira laughs on the other end. “I know, don’t worry. Even I can be a good older sister sometimes. So, we have concrete proof these two like each other, what do you want to do now?”

“I told Luz to just act normal until she adjusts to her feelings, but in the meantime...”

~~~

It’s the first week of November and the first day the temperature has gone below freezing during the daytime. Luz has a thick hoodie on and keeps rubbing her hands together, still cold even with the school’s heating on. Amity pulls her pair of gloves out of her winter coat pocket, leaning over to place them on Luz’s desk. She mouths a ‘thank you’ and slips them on. Amity totally hasn’t kept an extra pair in her coat just in case Luz needed them for the last month.

_If I wore those earlier and she has them on now, is this indirect hand holding?_

Luz sees Amity staring at her hands and wiggles her gloved fingers with a grin. She smiles back and forces herself to continue taking notes. Well, she tries to, but finds herself doodling hearts in the margin instead.

Halloween last Friday has been on her mind constantly. Nothing big happened unless you count her in an angel costume and Luz ‘coincidentally’ in a devil costume as something big. Willow probably had something to do with that. Amity’s phone screen may or may not be a photo of them in matching costumes that Luz insisted on taking together on that night.

She wants to confess at some point as her feelings for her ~~girl~~ friend only keep on getting stronger. Luz has never brought up having a crush so that means she has a chance, right? 

Only problem is she has no one to ask for help. The internet is sketchy and full of bad opinions, Willow has no experience, Edric is still in the dark, and Emira hasn’t asked Viney out yet.

Viney.

She said she’s been in relationships before, right? So she must know what would and wouldn’t work and how to go about it. 

Amity hunts her down at lunch, finding her in the back of the library along one of the long bookshelves that double as study areas. Viney looks surprised to see her alone.

“Where’s Luz?” she asks in a low voice, tilting her head to the side. There might only be a few other people in the room with them, but they still have to keep quiet.

Pulling a stool up next to her, Amity sits down. “In the cafeteria with Willow. I told them I had to meet with a teacher so I’d join them later.”

“Yet you’re here with me instead,” Viney says with a smile, closing her book and leaning on her elbow.

Amity blushes and tucks an invisible strand of hair behind her ear, glancing down at the counter. “I, uh, kind of want to take you up on your offer for love advice.”

“Oh, sooner than I expected. What can I help you with?”

“Um,” she runs a finger along the edge of the bookshelf. “Were the people you dated before girls?”

“Yeah, all three. I’ve known for a long time that I like girls and not boys, so I refused any that tried to ask me out.”

Amity draws her hands close to her chest. “And, uh, did you ask any of them out or did they ask you?”

“Hmm…” Viney pauses to think for a minute. “The first one asked me, I asked the second, and the third, we, uh, kind of ended up kissing each other and mutually decided we were dating,” she says sheepishly, scratching her cheek.

“Emira won’t like that last part,” Amity says under her breath, forgetting that any noise she makes Viney can hear. She slaps a hand over her mouth and looks over at Viney in terror. “Please pretend you didn’t hear that. Emira would _kill_ me.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I already know she likes me,” the other girl laughs. “I do like her back but I know she wants to ask me out herself, so I haven’t made a move,” she explains after seeing Amity’s puzzled look. “Is there anything else you want to ask me?”

Accidentally informing Viney of her sister’s crush on her made her momentarily forget what she came here for. “Yeah. I kind of…” she trails off, embarrassment trying to take over. Squeezing her eyes she pushes it back long enough to say what she needs. “Want advice on how to ask Luz to go out with me.”

Viney puts her head on the table and makes a soft squealing sound. She lifts it while taking a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. “Sorry that’s just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Amity feels her face turn red.

“You like her enough to want to take initiative yourself?” 

She nods.

“Young love is so precious.” Viney says wistfully, a distant look in her eye. “I know I’m only two years older than you, but Emira told me that Luz is your first crush. I gotta say, you chose a good one.” 

Amity just feels her face turn ever redder. 

“Let’s see, my first girlfriend asked me out with a letter and I asked the second out in person. So you could do either of those or text her. Kissing her is also an option, but that can be a little risky. I don’t think you would be comfortable doing something so intimate as a confession anyways. I guess you could call her too but that’s more of a long distance thing.”

So her options are a letter, text, in person, a call, or that second to last option she absolutely won’t be able to do. Amity knows she isn’t good at expressing herself verbally, so a letter or text are the best choices.

A text feels… too casual. Like it was a spur of the moment decision. A letter is similar but it takes the extra effort of writing it and delivering it to her. That’s also technically in person if she hands it to her herself. Luz deserves that level of effort.

“I think I’ll write a letter,” Amity says. She stares out the window in front of them. “Viney, do you think I have a chance?”

A hand is placed on the top of her head. “Absolutely, and I’m not just saying that to be nice. But there’s no need to rush it, okay? You can wait until the timing is right. Luz won’t be going anywhere.”

The hand is suddenly gone and the cool air of the library washes over where it was. There’s no need to hurry, Amity can take things as slow as she needs to. Which is good, because these new emotions are overwhelming. And she needs to work up the courage.

“Oh, can I have your number in case I need more advice?” She hands Viney her phone, who gladly takes it and adds a new contact. “I can send you embarrassing pictures of Emira as well, if you want.”

“Hell yeah, I can use them against her. Blackmail!” She hands Amity her phone back. “I sent myself a message so I have your number too.”

“Thanks, Viney. You helped me a lot,” she says with a shy smile, beginning to stand up. “Aw, no problem! Good luck with your love mission, Amity. And this meeting is a secret between us.” Viney pretends to zip her mouth shut. 

With a wave, Amity exits the library and heads to the cafeteria. A love letter can’t be that hard to write, right?

~~~

It starts snowing just after the last bell rings. Luz notices it and tugs Amity out the closest door, her gloved hand holding onto hers.

“It’s beautiful,” Luz whispers. “I’ve never seen real snow before.” Her eyes are wide and full of wonder as she gazes up at the sky. 

“Wait until there’s a layer over everything. If you think this is pretty, that will blow you away.” Amity smiles warmly, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her crush so completely enamored by something as simple as snow. “Or when there’s a layer of ice on everything along with the snow.”

“Look!” Luz brings her other hand in front of them. Her cheeks are flushed pink, from excitement and the cold. “A snowflake! I wonder if I can catch any on my tongue.” She tilts her head all the way back and sticks out her tongue, nearly falling over after a few seconds. “Wow, looking up at falling snow really makes you dizzy.”

Amity laughs, moving so their shoulders are touching. Their hands are still together and even with how cold her fingertips are getting she doesn’t dare let go. “You can lean against me so you don’t fall.”

She’s going to confess, and sometime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for 500+ kudos and 8k+ views it makes me so happy to see people enjoying this fluffy little lumity fic! anxiety has been bad so here we have a new chapter I wrote as means to cope and it helped. I really try to write longer chapters but I keep finding perfect spots to end the chapter at around 2k or so words
> 
> comments are appreciated! I read and respond to every single one (if I miss any it's because I'm dumb)
> 
> also sorry for another time skip, I had several ideas for around halloween I wanted to write but it would've felt too repetitive. we need development here!!


	14. Hot Cocoa and Peppermint Sticks

Amity is lying on her stomach, idly kicking her legs in the air above her. She can faintly hear her siblings talking down the hall but she’s too into her book to distinguish the voices from each other. The main character invited a friend into her hotel room during a convention and the romantic tension is so thick that Amity can feel it seeping through the pages.

She rolls over, holding her book up in the air above her head. A few lines later, the main character and her friend are kissing. Two girls, sitting on a bed, kissing.

_I want that._

Amity blinks and lowers the novel, processing the thought. Romance novels weren’t new territory to her, she’s been reading them for years, and has probably read hundreds at this point. So many that she can plot out on paper how the majority of them go. 

Sure, she’s found the couples in them cute, but she never desired to have what the characters she reads have.

Then again, almost all of them were between a girl and a boy, not two girls.

Oh. 

_Oh._

Amity realizes for the first time that she’s a lesbian.

~~~

The next day, after sleeping on it to make sure she’s certain, Amity decides it’s time to share her little discovery. Her siblings are at the table with her, eating some rather pathetic excuse of a dairy free pizza.

“I’m a lesbian,” she says clearly, eyes cast down on the table. Emira, she knows, will support her and was expecting. Edric, on the other hand… She never told him that she likes Luz. She’s more worried about how he’ll take that.

The silence that follows is uncomfortable but Amity makes herself pick her slice back up and take another bite. Ah, vegan cheese. Disgusting.

“Aw, I’m glad you could trust us enough for that information,” Emira finally says, nudging her brother to make him speak up.

“I, uh, yeah, what Em said.” Emira rolls her eyes.

“I also have a crush on Luz,” Amity states, now looking both her siblings in the eye. A few weeks ago she would have been a blushing mess trying to say such a thing, but her conversation with Viney and the conversations over text since have boosted her confidence tremendously.

This surprises Edric “Wait, you do?” He looks over at Emira, who smirks at him. “And wait, you knew? Why wasn’t I told about this?”

“Because it wasn’t my place to tell,” she says simply. “I just so happened to find Amity when she was having an epiphany over realizing she has a crush on her best friend at homecoming.”

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you.” Amity offers her brother a small smile. “I was just overwhelmed and needed time to get used to it before you two started teasing me. You’re only the fourth person to know about it, by the way.”

Edric hums and takes a sip of his drink. “That’s understandable. I haven’t been totally honest with you either.” He pauses, running a finger along the rim on his cup. “I’m gay too.”

Emira bursts into laughter, Edric’s face flushing. “It’s not funny, why are you laughing?”

She waves her hands as she tries to gain control of her breathing again. “No, no, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because all three of us are gay. We’re all homosexuals. All three Blight children are queer.” Running a hand through her long dark brown hair, out of her usual braid, she looks up at the ceiling. “It’s not even national coming out day.”

“Wait, that’s a thing?” Amity furrows her brow. Emira nods. “Yep, October eleventh, I believe. I think international lesbian day was October eighth,” she adds.

“Huh.” They fall back into silence and Amity busies herself with whipping the condensation off of her glass. 

“Hey, how did you realize that you’re lesbian?” Emira asks her. “I realized when I always got upset when I was paired with a boy for projects and was far more interested in having a cute girl be my partner.”

Edric mumbles something with his mouth full. “I only had dreams about boys doing romantic things with me. Any girl I drept of doing that didn’t have a face.”

His twin gives him a look. “That sounds absolutely terrifying.”

“Oh, I dream about the same thing. Any boy that tries to be intimate with me doesn’t have a face. That makes a lot more sense now.”

Emira places her hands down on the table with a thud. “Okay, one of you better explain this to me better or I’m calling an exorcist because you two are very clearly cursed.”

Amity thinks for a moment. “Well, I can only see the lower half of their face in my dreams. From the nose up it’s blacked out.”

“Exactly!” Edric exclaims. “Does that satisfy you? I don’t want to be exorcised again.”

“Wait, what do you mean by again-”

“So, Mittens! You never answered my question,” her older sister smiles sweetly. “How did you realize you’re only into girls?”

 _Are we really just going to gloss over the fact that Ed has been exorcised before?_ “I was reading a book about two girls and when they kissed, I…” she blushes and looks down at her hands. “All I could think was ‘I want that’ and I’ve never thought that with any of the other romance books I’ve read.”

She can hear Emira snicker. “You had your two gay ‘oh’ moments because you were thinking about kissing a girl? That’s adorable, Mittens.”

“As if you haven’t had those thoughts before! I’ve seen you staring at Viney’s lips many times before,” she retorts, face bright red.

Emira pinkens. “No I haven’t, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You have a crush on Viney. Just admit it, Emira.”

Edric gives them both a baffled look. “She does!?”

~~~

Final’s week. Three days for five exams and then Luz can have a long, much needed break from school. Nearly a whole month for her to lie around and ~~pine over Amity~~ do absolutely nothing.

It’s Monday morning and she’s in the cafeteria with Amity, who’s helping her go over her history notes one last time. She tries to focus, she really does, but Amity is so close to her and her fingers keep brushing against her that it’s all she can focus on.

“Luz?”

She snaps out of her trance. “I’m paying attention, I swear,” she blurts out.

Amity laughs--that wonderful, wonderful windchime laugh--and nudges her. “I was asking if you were nervous, not quizzing you again.”

“Oh.” Luz blushes, embarrassed. “I was just lost in thought. I’m not nervous at all!”

“Aw, a shame. I guess you don’t need a special anti-nervousness hug before the bell rings.” As if on cue, the bell rings and Amity stands up. Luz scrambles to stop her from leaving.

“W-Wait! I lied, I really am nervous. I need that anti-nervousness hug.”

Laughing, Amity hugs her. It’s warm, like it’s always been, but Luz frowns when her chin bumps against her shoulder. Did it always do that? Maybe she’s in heels again today.

They separate and head off to their first final, wishing each other luck.

Almost two hours later they’re both in the art room, drawing while a movie plays in the background. Their art final was a project they spent weeks working on and they both already finished, so they just get to mess around until it’s time to leave.

“How’d your history final go?” Amity asks, pulling her sketchbook out of her backpack. Luz gives a big grin and a thumbs up. “Great, actually! I think having you help me study really helped. I’m positive I got at least a B. How was your fun advanced algebra and trigonometry final?”

“Ugh, it was awful. I hate that I’m good at math and have to take calculus in a couple years.”

Luz scoffs. “By awful you probably mean you only got a 95%, right? I know you studied really hard so I know you did well.”

Amity flips open to a new page, tapping her pencil against the table. “Enough talk about math, I don’t want to think about it again until January. Give me an idea to draw.”

Drumming her fingers, Luz thinks. “Oh, how about the terrifying creature from my nightmare last night?” Amity raises an eyebrow. “It was like a feathered snake, but with the head of an owl. And it was seemingly never ending and also attached to the front door of a house.”

“So…” Amity quickly sketches something out. “Like this?” She pushes the sketchbook over to Luz.

With a gasp she picks it up and holds it close to her face. “Yes! That’s literally exactly what he looked like! But the door looked more like this,” she takes her pencil and sketches over what Amity had drawn.

“What should we name our demon owl child?” Amity asks, smiling. _Did she just call this nightmare monster_ our _child?_ “Hooty. He said the word ‘hoot’ a lot, so his name is going to be hooty.”

With a giggle, her crush writes the name on the page. “That’s like naming a cat Meowy because it meows.”

“Hooty is very obnoxious and very, _very_ talkative. The rest of the dream was nice, just not him. Well, he’s nice, just not pleasant to be around. So I think the name is justified.”

Amity hums as she adds something else on the page. When she moves the sketchbook over it’ Hooty, but he’s talking to a very clearly irritated Luz. Luz doesn’t understand how she’s created something so beautiful yet so horrifying. She also takes a photo to look at later, totally not because Amity drew her.

The rest of the final period is spent talking more about her dream and drawing things she remembers about it, adding a cute little wolf-like demon with a skull as half his head and a gray haired witch to the cast.

“..so Hooty holds the mail in his mouth for some reason and vomits it up later. That actually might have been the most terrifying part…” she trails off when she sees Willow enter the cafeteria. “Willow!”

“Hey,” she says, taking a seat with them. “Day one of finals complete! Oh, Luz, did you know it’s supposed to snow a lot tomorrow and Wednesday?”

“Snow?” Luz perks up more than she already is. It’s only snowed a couple more times in the last month and it was never enough to fully cover the ground. She really wants to be able to properly play around in it.

Amity picks up on her excitement. “I tried my snowpants on the other day and I think they shrunk the last time I washed them,” she says with a frown. “They still fit, but they’re a little short now and I’m not too keen on getting frostbitten ankles.”

“Are you sure you haven’t grown?” Willow asks. She shakes her head. “I haven’t grown at all since seventh grade.”

Wait, didn’t the hug from Amity feel a little different today? Luz looks down at the shoes Amity is wearing. They don’t have a heel. She pushes herself up and slips her shoes off. “Stand up and take off your shoes.”

Amity gives her a confused look but does as she says. They stand back to back and Luz gasps when her hand bumps into the back of Amity’s head instead of gliding right over. “You did grow! I really don’t appreciate you being taller than me now. Who gave you permission to grow like two inches?”

Being shorter instead of the same height makes Luz feel funny. If she were to kiss her standing up she’d have to be just slightly on her tiptoes. Yeah, maybe she imagines kissing Amity a lot, maybe more often than she should. Now she has to alter all those thoughts because Amity had the audacity to grow two inches.

“I really thought I was done growing, I swear.” Amity averts her gaze and looks pleadingly at Willow, who only shakes her head and laughs.

Luz pouts knowing that she has to look up to make eye contact with Amity now.

~~~

The last final is finally over and Amity is changing into her snow gear at Luz’s house. Luz is practically vibrating with excitement about getting to play in a good eight or so inches of snow with a friend. Apparently it’s been one of her dreams since she was little.

She still hasn’t been able to confess yet. The timing was never right, then it was too close to finals, and now she left her letter at home. She can either wait or go for a different option, and she doesn’t want to do either.

“Okay, what should we do first? Snowman? Snowball fight? Snow angels” Luz is bouncing up and down, face flushed from the cold. “Ooh, or we could make a snow fort!”

“A snow fort sounds fun.” Amity scoops up a handful of snow and mushes it into a ball. “It’s not so cold that the snow doesn’t stick, so that’ll work. The powdery snow is the worst.”

They pick a spot about two dozen feet away from the house, near the forest. “I read that the best way to do it is make a giant mound and then carve out the middle.”

“Ed and Em did that when we were younger and made a secret hideout for us every winter. If we were lucky it would melt slightly and then freeze and turn into ice.” She pats snow down on the small mound they’ve managed to form already.

Time flies by as they swap stories and next thing they know it’s early afternoon and they’re standing in front of a four foot tall pile of snow. “I’d say this is good. This is your fort, so you can start digging the entrance.”

Luz continues talking as she scrapes away the snow, Amity watching. She looks so happy, eyes shining and nose turned pink from the temperature. Amity is sure she looks the same.

At this time last year, Amity had finally made up her mind about being done with Boscha and her posse. Being a bully felt awful and she knew the private high school would be even worse. She was miserable, if she’s being honest. The only thing keeping her going was the The Good Witch Azura franchise.

She had hoped she could make a real friend at this new school, but she never imagined she would have found someone as amazing as Luz. She’s bright and bubbly, incredibly sweet, and has an amazing sense of humor. No one has ever made Amity feel so happy and like she finally found her place in the world before.

Now, she has more than The Good Witch Azura making her excited to look forward to tomorrow.

Clumps of white start to fall around them and Amity realizes it started snowing. She calls for Luz, who worms her way back out of the hole she’s dug and jumps up when she sees the falling snow.

She pulls Amity along with her and spins around, laughter filling the air. Both girls spend a bit trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues, Luz giving up first and flopping down to make a snow angel.

“Hey Amity, can you help me get up?” Luz calls from the ground a few seconds later, arms up in the air. Amity helps pull her up, giggling. “Getting back up without ruining it is always the hardest part.”

Taking a step away, she survey’s Luz’s work. “You did a pretty good job. I think they need a friend though.” Amity sits down to the left of Luz’s snow angel and makes her own, lifting her arms for Luz to help her get back on her feet. She slips in the snow and stumbles, nearly falling on top of Luz.

Luz just barely catches her, their faces not even an inch apart and Amity can feel Luz’s warm breath on her skin. She gulps. It’s a good thing her face was already red or else she would’ve been full on crimson. Luz laughs nervously and helps Amity get back up. “I think we should take a break, what about you?”

Inside Amity hangs her hat and gloves on the mitten tree as Luz heats up water for hot chocolate. The microwave beeps and she turns to watch Luz carefully remove each mug, pouring a packet of cocoa powder into each. She stirs them with a peppermint stick before bringing them over to the table.

The steam feels wonderful against her face. Luz brings her knees up to her chest and fiddles with her shirt sleeve as she waits for her drink to cool down. Amity watches out of the corner of her eye, secretly admiring the distant look Luz always gets when she’s lost in thought.

“Are there any sledding hills around here?” she finally asks.

“Yeah, there are a couple. They added one downtown a year or so ago, actually. It’s that hill near the library.”

“Let’s go together tomorrow! Assuming the snow doesn’t melt by then. Also, do you have a sled I can use?” Amity nods, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. The peppermint stick is mostly dissolved and adds a nice layer to the drink. “This is really good, by the way.”

Luz smirks and straightens up. “It’s actually my own original idea. I definitely didn’t drop a candy cane in hot chocolate by accident once.”

“I’m not surprised in the slightest,” Amity snorts and covers her mouth as Luz starts laughing. “That was the cutest noise I’ve ever heard you make!” Blushing, she gets up and moves to sit on the couch. 

Luz follows her, putting her cat mug on the coffee table as she gets a blanket to put over Amity. She then proceeds to join her, going so far as to lean against Amity as she continues sipping her hot cocoa.

Amity might just short circuit. Luz turns the TV on and they watch a cliche holiday romance movie, but Amity is too busy focusing on the body leaning against her. First she makes her hot chocolate, then puts a blanket over her, then (technically) cuddles her? Every time she thinks she can’t possibly fall for Luz more she’s proven wrong

Eventually her gaze shifts over to the screen. It’s a Hallmark Christmas movie, so of course the girl gets the guy at the end and there’s always a kiss. She’s seen this one a couple times before, actually. Those movies are often on as background noise during the holiday season at her house.

Luz hasn’t spoken the entire time and they sit in comfortable silence. The movie ends and Luz turns to say something, her hair messy from being under a hat for hours, face still slightly pink from being in the cold for so long. She couldn’t possibly look more beautiful. 

Amity’s mind goes blank and she feels herself lean in.

Next thing she knows, she’s kissing Luz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, a cliffhanger!! I'm not sorry for that
> 
> edit: yes, they made hot chocolate with water. that's what lactose intolerant people do. there are a million other things in this chapter that you can comment on instead please don't focus on their watery peppermint chocolate drink
> 
> amity's "oh I'm a lesbian" moment is based off of mine, the only difference is I was 17 and in the back of a car on a road trip
> 
> also. I here came out to their family by slapping the "move I'm gay" amity meme (you know the one where she's being extra and jumping out of the trees to save luz) sticker on the outside of their bedroom door right before they went back to their dorm and received a text from their mom hours later which was supportive but also said "not surprised :)"
> 
> also also. I realized very recently I no longer have a crush on one of my best friends so I feel empty inside and will be opening up girlfriend applications /s
> 
> comments about your thoughts on this chapter are appreciated!!!


	15. Confession

Amity only realizes what she’s done as she’s pulling away from Luz. Her eyes widen with horror and she tries to speak to apologize, but her body refuses to do more than open and close her mouth. Her mind is swirling with fear and she can feel her heart nearly beating out of her chest.

Luz is looking at her with wide eyes as well, an unreadable expression in them. Her face is bright pink and a hand is gingerly touching her lips. 

She seems to catch on to Amity’s frozen state within a couple seconds. Her hands cover the ones clenching the blanket and Amity squeezes her eyes shut.

_Really, a panic attack right now?_

Her breathing is fast and shallow, but the warmth gently placing pressure on her hands calms it down a little bit. 

“Focus on taking deep breaths. In for four, out for eight,” a soft voice tells her. Amity does as she’s told, the tension in her body slowly melting away. It takes a minute or two for her breathing to return to normal, and when it does she opens her eyes back up. 

Luz is looking at her worriedly. “Are you alright now?”

She nods. 

With a sigh of relief, Luz draws her hands away and into her lap as she turns to stare at the TV. “We don’t have to talk about it, if you want. I can pretend it never happened.”

There’s a hint of something unusual in Luz’s voice as she speaks. Amity can’t quite place it. Sadness, but not quite. It hurts her heart to hear.

She considers Luz’s offer to forget the whole kiss ever happened. They could go back to normal and continue playing out in the snow. They could enjoy winter break and go back to school as if the last few minutes were all some weird daydream.

But that wouldn’t be fair. To her, or to Luz. If they pretend this didn’t happen Amity fears she’ll never get a chance to confess. 

She doesn’t even know how Luz really feels about her anyways. 

If she is willing to pretend an unexpected kiss never happened, she would be okay with her best friend confessing to her, right?

Amity decides it’s worth the risk. Enough of being scared, fear won’t lead her where she wants to go. 

If it doesn’t go well then, well, she can figure that out later. That’s a problem for future Amity.

She shuffles around and positions herself to be facing Luz. “No.”

Luz glances at her out of the corner of her eye in surprise. 

“I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen, because it wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair to hide the truth.” Amity gulps and uses all her courage to look Luz in the eye as she delivers her next line. 

“I’m sorry for doing… that without your consent and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You deserve an honest explanation. I have a crush on you, Luz.”

The silence between them is deafening as Amity waits for Luz to reply. She’s not as nervous as she had expected to be, but her chest is still tight knowing she very well could get rejected.

“You do?” Luz finally says, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes are full of disbelief with a hint of something hidden underneath. Joy, maybe? It’s hard to tell.

Amity nods, mouth suddenly dry. She watches as Luz processes this information and gasps when Luz pounces on her with a hug. 

“L-Luz?” 

There’s no response and Luz only hugs her tighter, resting her chin on her shoulder. Amity opts to just sit there until she moves; something about the intensity of the grip around her is telling her to stay still. It feels desperate, almost, like if Luz were to let go that Amity would slip through her fingers.

So she just stays still. Her arms are pinned against herself by the way she’s being hugged, but she allows herself to rest her head on Luz’s shoulder as well. It’s warm, really, _really_ warm, almost enough to lull her to sleep.

Then Luz finally lets go, momentarily, before her hands find their way to delicately hold Amity’s. There are tears in her eyes but she’s wearing the biggest grin Amity has ever seen plastered on her face.

She slides a hand out to wipe a tear away from one eye, shaking her head. “I like you too, Amity. A lot.” She lets out a laugh, but it’s cut short. “Hey, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?

“No no,” Amity sniffs and laughs herself, hand covering the ones Luz put on her shoulders. “I’m just really happy. You did everything right, don’t worry. I was afraid you were going to reject me.”

“Oh, good, I was so afraid I messed up.” She sighs, her shoulders and hands relaxing. With a smirk, Luz pulls Amity toward her.

Yelping, Amity finds herself lying on top of Luz, their faces inches apart. She tries to push herself away but a pair of arms pull her down so their chests are almost flush together. Luz’s face is pink--she’s blushing, Amity realizes--and her eyes are full of what she can only describe as love.

“How could anyone ever reject someone as wonderful as you, Amity Blight?” Luz says in a way that melts her heart.

She gives in and wiggles down a couple inches, resting her head against Luz’s shoulder. The heartbeat underneath her is beating just as fast as hers, which makes her smile. It’s rather comforting, actually, lying on top of her crush while being held.

She never realized just how touch starved she really was, and now that she’s found someone she’s completely comfortable with, she doesn’t want to let go.

“Wait, does this mean we’re dating now?” Amity lifts her head up a bit.

“Yes!” Luz responds quickly. She blushes at her obvious enthusiasm. “I mean, only if you want to, of course.”

Gently pinching Luz’s cheek, Amity giggles. “Luz, I literally just kissed you. Of course I do.” She lets go and moves to cup her cheek, thumb running along her cheekbone. Luz leans into the touch.

_Oh my god that’s adorable. She’s like a cat._

“Good, because I would’ve been really embarrassed if you said no.” 

Amity lets her head fall back onto Luz’s shoulder and nuzzles into it. “This is the only thing I’ve wanted for months now,” she says. 

“Aww, you’ve been pining for me for months? That’s adorable.”

“Are you telling me you haven’t been pining as well?”

“Nope! Totally haven’t been. I am a master of my emotions,” Luz declares. 

Shifting so her face is hovering directly over Luz’s, Amity smiles devilishly. “Oh, really, _Lazura_? So you wouldn’t react too strongly if I were to, let’s say,” she leans in closer, their noses nearly touching. “Kiss you again?”

Luz swallows thickly, gaze locked onto Amity’s. “Y-You wouldn’t.”

Chuckling, Amity leans in even closer and tilts her head slightly to the side. “You wanna bet?” 

Luz squeezes her eyes shut, peeking one open a few seconds later when nothing happens. Amity bursts into laughter and sits up. 

With a very red face Luz pushes herself up into a sitting position as well. She crosses her arms and pouts. “That was mean, Amity, getting my hopes up like that.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. If you still want one you’ll have to initiate it yourself. I did the first one after all” They hold a brief, impromptu staring contest and then Amity reddens as all of her actions in the last thirty seconds catch up to her. 

She grabs a nearby pillow and screams into it, startling Luz. “I don’t know how I had the courage to say all of that and oh my god I am beyond embarrassed please just leave me here to die,” she mutters.

A hand pets the top of her head so she lowers the pillow to see a flustered Luz trying to console her. “I don’t know how to be anywhere near that flirty, but…”

Luz gently lowers the pillow down onto Amity’s lap and places a soft kiss on her cheek. Amity freezes for a second time, face burning, this time not from anxiety.

“Now we’re both embarrassed,” she says. “A-Anyways, uh, do you want to tell anyone about, um, us,” she gestures to the both of them. “Or keep it secret for a bit?” 

That snaps Amity out of her frozen state. “Oh, uh, I guess we can tell Willow. She already knew I liked you so she won’t be surprised.”

“Wait, I told her I liked you too.” Luz rubs her forehead. “She knew we liked each other and didn’t try to lock us in a room together or anything to speed things along?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s been trying to set us up for a while, knowing how she is. I wouldn’t be surprised if Emira and Viney were in on it too,” she says, fiddling with a loose thread on the pillow. “Willow is the one that convinced me to ask you to go to the bookstore with me back in October for the sole purpose of letting you know I’m into girls.”

Luz perks up at this. “Really? That was the same day I made myself admit that I liked you. I knew I already did but didn’t want to accept it because I didn’t know if I had a chance.”

Amity reaches over and gently pinches her cheek again. “You’re literally the reason I figured out I’m a lesbian, you unbelievably dense fool.”

She giggles for a moment before looking up curiously. “Wait, I’m the reason you discovered your sexuality? I need the details.”

With a blush Amity pushes some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Uh, well, I realized I liked you during homecoming after we danced to those two songs. I actually left for a bit to calm myself down and that’s how Emira and Viney found out.”

“Gay panic,” Luz interrupts. “I’ve been there. Actually I’m doing that right now, I’ll shut up and let you continue with your tantalizing story where I’m the hero.”

Amity smiles before she continues. “I then realized last month I’m only into girls when I was reading a book about a sapphic relationship.” Unconsciously, her hand finds Luz’s and places itself on top, Amity immediately relaxing at the contact. She didn’t even realize she was tense.

“That’s so sweet,” Luz coos. “I’m honored I caused that.” She takes out her phone and takes a photo of her and Amity before the latter can even react. “I’m sending this to Willow.”

[Luz]: [uploaded img.png]  
[Luz]: we’re dating now uwu  
[Amity]: LUZ  
[Luz]: what you said we could tell willow  
[Willow]: wow, this honestly happened way sooner than I expected  
[Luz]: yeah amity kissed me and then went into a gay panicaghdlwhdkrheob  
[Willow]: luz?  
[Luz]: luz’s phone has been confiscated until further notice  
[Willow]: did you really confess with a kiss though  
[Luz]: uh  
[Luz]: maybe  
[Willow]: after all that work your sister and I put into setting you up that’s how it happens?  
[Willow]: disappointed but not surprised  
[Willow]: also happy for you two because you’re perfect for each other  
[Willow]: and also surprised because I didn’t think you had it in you for something as bold as a kiss  
[Luz]: you’re the worst but also thank you  
[Willow]: have fun with your new girlfriend you lovebirds  
[Luz]: oh shut up

Amity hands the phone back to Luz with a huff. She stands up, brushing invisible dust off of her pants. “Well, wanna go finish that snow fort?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! I hope this was worth the wait, I needed a break and now have a lot of free time because mod 2 for school just started. haven't replied to a lot of the comments on my last chapter so I'll get to that eventually I promise
> 
> I have no idea how much longer this fic is gonna be, to be honest. I'm stuck between just adding epilogues as bonus chapters or making them completely separate like how they are for moonlit masquerade (one of my favorites by the way I highly recommend it) but there will be at least one more chapter to wrap more things up, maybe more. 
> 
> on a different note i'm finally stabilizing on my medication so eventually I'll add art to this somewhere
> 
> also hi to everyone in the discord server I joined thank you for reading this uwu


	16. Admit It

Ms. Noceda comes home that evening to discover her daughter and her friend asleep on the couch, cuddled up together. She saw the snow creations they’d made out in the yard from her car’s headlights, so it was no wonder they were tired. 

Luz wakes up to the smell of something cooking. Yawning, she rubs an eye and then blinks them open. Amity is against her, still sleeping peacefully, her breathing slow and steady. 

She smiles, pressing a kiss into her girlfriend’s hair. Girlfriend. The word makes her heart flutter. 

That’s when Luz notices they’re covered in a blanket and that she can smell food. She carefully twists her body so she can look over at the kitchen and her mom is in there, moving around.

“Ah, mija, you’re up! Dinner will be ready soon, but you can let Amity sleep a little longer. She seems to be quite comfortable,” she calls over the pony wall.

Luz blushes. Has her mom caught onto the fact that there’s something going on between the two? Amity shifts, nuzzling into Luz, and she decides not to worry about it for now. Clearly, if her mom had an issue with it, she wouldn’t have covered them with a blanket and let them continue to sleep. 

Amity wakes up a few minutes later, blinking sleepily as she covers a yawn with her hand. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Luz says affectionately. Amity pushes herself off of Luz and upright, stretching her arms above her head. “I think it’s actually evening,” she comments, voice a little husky from just waking up. 

“That’s irrelevant here.” She gives Amity’s hand a squeeze, glancing back toward her mom and then back at her girlfriend. “Should we tell her?” she mouths.

Amity only hesitates briefly before nodding. Ms. Noceda is really nice and seems to like her quite a bit. Plus she seems to be very accepting, unlike her parents. She’s much more afraid to break the news to them.

“Okay, girls, it’s time to eat,” her mother says, the sound of a chair being pulled against a wooden floor following her voice. 

Luz gives her hand one final squeeze before letting go and heading to the table. Amity follows, taking the chair across from Ms. Noceda, Luz between them. 

The three eat their meal, talking about how finals went and how the girls were enjoying high school so far. It takes all of Amity’s willpower to keep herself from staring at Luz too much as she excitedly speaks about things she already knows.

When they stand up to clear the table, she finds herself being tugged to the side. “Mom, look, Amity’s taller than me now!”

She blushes heavily and squeaks, not expecting to be put under the spotlight like that. 

“That doesn’t surprise me. Her brother and sister are tall and she looks a lot like them,” the older woman says, offering Amity a warm smile as she begins to carry the dishes back to the kitchen. 

“Hey, are you saying you’re expecting me to stay short?” Luz asks, exaggerating an offended gasp. Her mom chuckles. 

“You turn fifteen soon, cariño. You should be done growing by now and you take a lot after my mother. She is very short.”

With a pout, Luz crosses her arms. “Amity is fourteen too and she grew.”

“Actually, I’m fifteen now,” she says quietly. Luz whips her head to look at her, eyes wide. 

“What? Since when?”

“Uh, since last Tuesday.” Amity rubs her arm sheepishly. “I didn’t tell you because you were so focused on finals and… other reasons.” _Mostly that I hate celebrating my birthday because of my parents._

Sighing, she puts a hand on her shoulder. “We’re talking about this later. But, Mom, there’s something else we wanted to tell you.”

Ms. Noceda’s eyebrow raises at the use of the word ‘we’. Luz falters for a moment, Amity reading a hand up and placing it over hers as comfort. Just like that day at the bookstore. 

She takes a deep breath before speaking. “We, um, we’re dating now. I hope you’re okay with that.”

Even though she knows her mom will be overjoyed, Luz still braces herself. Moments later she finds herself wrapped in a hug along with Amity. “I’m so happy for you, mija! My little girl is growing up so fast. Of course I’m okay with it. Amity is a good girl and she can help keep you out of trouble.”

She ruffles her hair, making Luz smile. “It took you an awful long time. You usually jump for the things you want without thinking first.”

“First of all, I’m offended but you’re right, and second, Amity is the one who confessed, actually,” Luz admits. Confessed with a kiss, maybe, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“Oh, well isn’t that a surprise,” she says as she turns to the taller girl. “Thank you for being so kind to my daughter, Amity. I could not have picked a better person for her to date.”

Blushing more than she already is, Amity stammers for a response. Luckily, Luz is just as embarrassed and begins to push her in the direction of the stairs. “A-Anyways, we’re gonna go change into our pajamas and start getting ready for bed! We’re super tired, who knew playing in the snow could be so exhausting! Goodnight.” 

They hurry upstairs, missing the smile and eye roll her mom gives them. Panting slightly, Luz closes her door and slides down onto the floor. “Oh my god, I was so nervous to tell her that. Sorry for putting you under the spot like that, Amity.”

Groaning, Amity falls onto Luz’s bed. “No, it’s alright. I think telling Ed and Em is going to be scarier for me. Actually, no, telling my parents is going to be infinitely worse.” She stares up at the glow in the dark stars scattered up on the ceiling. “Uh, will your mom be upset that you… shut the door?”

“Huh?” Luz tilts her head, obviously confused. “We usually shut the door, why would she mind this time?” 

Amity just stares at her. She knows she can be a bit dense at times, but this level of it is surprising.

Face heating up, Luz puts her face in her hands. “Oh, right, because we’re dating now. I’m not planning on trying anything, I swear! Besides, my mom trusts me. Or maybe it’s you she trusts more.”

Now it’s Amity’s turn to be embarrassed. “I-I didn’t think that you would! It’s just something I read about a lot, so…” 

“We’re a total mess, aren’t we?” Luz giggles, joining Amity on the bed. She rests her head against her shoulder and takes one of her hands in hers. Amity squeaks, the second time in ten minutes.

This is going to take some getting used to.

A few hours later they’re back in their makeshift blanket nest, lying closer to one another this time. The lights are off, the stars on the ceiling glowing softly. Neither are asleep yet.

Amity feels Luz’s finger gently brush against her own and she rolls onto her side, feeling Luz move as well.

“Hi,” she whispers.

“Hi.”

Amity is certain that Luz can hear how loud her heartbeat is right now. 

“Uh, I wanted to know if I could, um, kiss you?” Luz mumbles. The room may be dark but Amity knows that she’s blushing.

“If you really want to then yes, you can,” Amity says, a soft smile tugging at her mouth. She moves a little closer, their noses brushing together. Seems that cheek kiss wasn’t enough for Luz earlier.

There’s a pause and then Amity can feel a very brief peck on her lips. Luz exhales shakily. “I thought that would be easier since you can’t exactly see me but it isn’t.”

Humming, Amity snakes a hand up to Luz’s upper arm and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Is it okay if I did it instead? Maybe getting more used to being kissed will make it easier for you to do it yourself. You don’t always have to be the bolder one, you know.”

“Yeah, that would work,” Luz says shyly. “And maybe I just want to impress you sometimes. You’re so cool and I’m just… this.”

“Aww, Luz, there’s no need for that. There’s so many things about you that I admire an wish I could do myself”

She tilts her head a little to the left and slowly leans in until their lips are pressed together. Shivers run down her spine. 

It feels nice. Really nice.

The one earlier was nice too, but that was unplanned and Luz wasn’t prepared for it. Now it’s completely mutual and they have the added bonus of darkness to shield them from getting how utterly adorable the other girl is.

She pulls back after a couple seconds even though all she wants to do is keep kissing her.

“Wait.”

Luz calls out from the darkness, tugging on the bottom of Amity’s shirt. “Can you do that again? Please? Just so I can get used to it, of course.”

Amity happily obliges with a smile.

~~~

The twins pick Amity up the next day a bit before noon. Both are able to tell that Amity is unusually happy, even for coming back from spending the night at Luz’s house. They share a glance but don’t press the issue until they’re inside their own house.

“So, Mittens, you seem rather happy today. Did something happen yesterday?” Emira asks, putting one hand on her shoulder.

Before she can reply, Edric joins in. “Yeah, Em is right. We haven’t seen you this happy, like, ever.” His hand goes on her other.

“Nothing happened. I just enjoy spending time with my friends,” Amity says, trying to suppress the blush rising to her cheeks.

“Yeah, but she’s also your crush, Mittens.”

“You can’t fool us, we know how to read you like a book. We’ve known you your whole life so you are _very_ easy to read”

Sighing, she turns to glance at each of them. “If I tell you, can you promise me two things?”

“Yes.”

“Depends-” Emira sends her brother a death glare. “I mean, yes, of course!”

“Promise me that one, you won’t tell mom and dad. And two, you won’t tease me too much. Please.”

The twins share another glance. The first thing is a given, they under no circumstance would inform their parents of any of them doing something the adults would find ‘distasteful’. The other one, however, with the please at the end, is an usual thing for her to ask. “We promise,” they say in unison.

Amity stares at them for a moment, determining that they’re telling the truth. “Well,” she starts, fiddling her fingers, “some stuff happened yesterday, and I _may_ have ended up confessing to Luz and, we, uh, might be dating now.”

Edric is the one to speak first. “Wow, Mittens got a girlfriend before you did! That’s impressive. I’m proud of you, baby sister.”

Emira pouts. “How did this confession happen, though?”

She notices her sister draws her arms closer to her body. “This is where the second promise comes in. My mind went blank because Luz looked pretty, and I kissed her.”

Whistling, Emira pats her shoulder. “Wow, very bold. Didn’t know you had it in you for that, but I guess you like Luz more than we thought.”

“I was planning on giving her a letter like Viney suggested,” Amity mumbles. She perks up at the mention of Viney’s name.

“Wait, you went to get advice from Viney? Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Because I’m sending her embarrassing photos of you in exchange for advice,” she states, brushing their hands off of her and making her way to the kitchen.

Before Emira can ask anything, she turns her head around. “If you want to know why she’s getting photos of you, you’ll have to ask yourself. Another thing, I got a girlfriend first because I actually made a move and stopped waiting for her to make one first.”

With that, she disappears around the corner.

Edric whistles. “Wow, girls seem complicated. Sure am glad I’m not one of them and not into them.”

His sister jabs him in the ribs with her elbow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, more pure fluff for all of you! one of the next chapters will have some.... angstier stuff in it but it won't be anything too severe. just some light angst and there still will be fluff to balance it it out
> 
> also just gonna promote natec7's fics "we must be brave" and "us against the world" because I'm her proofreader now and it's getting really good
> 
> comments are still appreciated! there are too many for me to reply to all of them now but I do read them all!!


	17. Boscha Doesn't Know How to Flirt and it Shows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // slight stalking ?
> 
> also if you like boschlow I'm sorry

Winter break is over in a flash and before she knows it, it’s already time to go back to school. Amity bounces her leg in the backseat of the car, shifting her gaze from the window to her phone every few seconds. She had texted Luz earlier this morning with a rather important question and hasn’t received a reply yet.

Knowing her, she probably just got distracted and totally forgot. But she still worries.

Finally, the car pulls up onto the curb outside Luz’s house. Edric honks the horn to signal that they’re there and Emira turns to face her younger sister, chin resting on the seat. 

“Something wrong?” she asks, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Shaking her head, Amity begins to drum her fingers against her leg. “No, Luz just never responded to my text earlier and I asked her something really important.”

“Well, here she comes so you can ask her now.” Edric presses a button so the side door opens up for Luz.

She hops in, grinning, and quickly gives Amity a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning!”

Amity turns beet red and Luz does too when she realizes what she’s done. “Sorry, I should’ve asked! I’m just excited.”

“No,” Amity shakes her head, “it just took me by surprise. I didn’t mind it.”

“You gotta give her a good morning kiss back,” Emira calls out from the front. 

With a deep breath, she pulls Luz closer and plants a kiss on her right cheek, away from where the twins can see. Her girlfriend blushes even harder and giggles. “We have to make this an every day thing.”

“If you insist,” Amity replies with a small smile. She isn’t used to openly showing affection to Luz in front of her siblings quite yet. She’s really glad they seem to be upholding their promise of keeping the teasing to a minimum. “Oh, you didn’t reply to my text this morning. It’s kinda important.”

Luz pulls her phone out of her pocket and shows the black screen. “Apparently I didn’t plug my phone in all the way last night so it’s dead and I woke up too late to be able to charge it any.”

She motions for the shorter girl to lean in. “Do you want to keep us a secret at school?” she whispers. It’s still too embarrassing to ask some things in front of Ed and Em.

Those big brown eyes are staring at her when she leans back for an answer. “Do you?” Luz asks. 

Amity shakes her head and Luz seems to let out a sigh of relief. “Good, because it would have been _really_ hard for me to do. You know me, I’m a little cuddle bug.”

“Yeah, you definitely are.” Amity smiles and puts a hand over hers for the rest of the ride to school.

“You two are adorable,” Edric comments from the driver's seat.

Luz laughs. “Oh, we know.”

Willow meets them by Amity’s locker and smirks when she sees them holding hands. She sets her backpack down and leans against a locker. 

“This is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I need to take a photo,” she says and does so before either can protest. “Perfect. Now, I have a story for you.”

“Ooh, gossip.” Luz says with wide eyes. “Tell me everything.”

“You know how I help out at my dad’s floral shop? There’s this one girl with dyed hair that I’ve seen come in a couple times before. But over break she came a lot, and I mean _a lot_. Every other day or so. Never even bought anything.” Willow holds up a hand to keep Luz from saying what she just knows will be along the lines of ‘seems you have a secret admirer’.

“Thing is, she was always really rude. She called me ‘flowers’ even when I had a name tag and said some… not very nice things.”

Amity tilts her head. “What do you mean by that?”

“She would say things about other people she knew and make backhanded comments about me loud enough for me to hear. Every. Single. Time. She. Came. In.”

“Why didn’t you kick her out then?” Luz asks. “I would’ve done that after the first time.”

Willow sighs and crosses her arms. “It wasn’t worth it. She always showed up at times my dad was in the back and if I ignored her long enough, she would get bored and leave. Plus she came with up to three other girls and I didn’t wanna deal with that.”

Hearing all these details makes Amity furrow her brow. It sounds all too familiar. “Can you describe what these girls were like?”

“Let’s see… the one I’m complaining about was tall and really snobby, her hair was always up in a bun. And dyed pink. The other three were made up of one tall girl with short green hair and two shorter girls. One had glasses and the other had poofy hair that was mostly dyed silver. “

Groaning she rubs her forehead with her free hand. “Ugh, that’s definitely Boscha and her little posse. The others are Amelia, Kat,and Skara. They’re not that bad on their own but if they’re with that pink-haired gremlin...”

“Wait, _Boscha_?! The one you were friends with in middle school?” Luz asks in bewilderment.

“Please don’t remind me, those were the four worst years of my life. But yes, that is Boscha. To clarify,” she looks up at Willow, “I only associated with them because my parents made me. Eventually I had enough of how nasty they were and changed schools.”

“Yeah, that checks out. I remember your parents made it clear that they only continued to let you be my friend because of my parents after she found out about them.” Spotting Luz’s confusion, she elaborates. “I have two dads. Her mom said something about ‘having a good image by letting their child play with the one being raised by homosexuals’ if I remember correctly.”

“God, Amity, your parents sound absolutely horrible.” Luz says sympathetically. “And Willow, if that bitch ever steps foot in your dad’s shop again I will not hesitate to fight her.”

Willow raises an eyebrow. “I really appreciate it, but that won’t be necessary. She’ll get tired of whatever she’s trying to do eventually.”

Amity sees Luz open her mouth to object but the bell cuts them off. 

“See you in bio,” Willow calls out over her shoulder as she disappears into the stairway.

When she glances at her girlfriend she can see her with a hand on her hip. “I don’t trust whatever Bitcha is up to.”

She nearly chokes on air over the name Luz gave her. “I don’t trust her either but if she hurts one of my friends again I will make her regret it.”

“Ooh, scary,” Luz jokes, removing her hand from her hip and putting it on her cheek. “I’m sure she’s going to tremble in your presence. Come, I’m gonna walk you to class. That’s what a good girlfriend does after all.”

Amity rolls her eyes but follows Luz down the hall, hand in hand.

All three girls thankfully kept the same lunch period for second semester and they manage to snag their old table again. Luz flops down onto the seat and smooshes her cheek against the table. Willow gives her a look and glances up at Amity. “What’s her deal?”

She leans over Luz to reply. “She’s mad she still doesn’t have the courage to kiss me in public,” she says in a low voice so only Willow can hear.

Her friend scoffs and sits down. “Has she done it in private at least?”

“Kind of? But the lights were off and it barely lasted half a second, so…”

Willow pats Luz on the back. “It’s okay Luz, you’ve only been dating for like two and a half weeks. Just take baby steps for now, Amity is patient.”

She just groans into the table.

Amity begins to run her fingers through Luz’s hair as her way of consoling her. “Oh, Willow, I’ve been thinking about what Boscha could possibly be doing stalking you at the flower shop.”

She raises an eyebrow as she pulls out her lunchbox.

“I think she’s trying to hit on you.”

There’s silence among the trio, even over the clamor of the lunchroom. Willow shakes her head. “No, you have to be mistaken. She’s definitely not flirting with me.”

“She is, though. Back in seventh grade she had a huge crush on this cheerleader and didn’t know how to handle it, so she would pick on her to get her attention. She was on the rugby team with me so I saw it first hand many times.”

Luz lifts her head up a little. “Oh, you told me this story! You said she was homophobic though.”

“Hey, put your head back down if you want me to keep playing with your hair. Or have you had enough?” Amity says teasingly.

Setting her head back down, she closes her eyes. “Please continue. It feels nice.”

“Anyways, Boscha is extremely homophobic, even though she’s gay herself. I don’t remember if it’s because of her upbringing or what.”

Willow hums as she chews a bite of her sandwich. “Maybe I should talk to my dad about banning her. Or just avoid confrontation and wait until she gives up. It’s not like bullying is new to me.”

“I have an idea!” Luz springs up and slaps her hands on the table. “What if we set her up? Like we purposefully call Willow and make plans while Boscha is in the store and see if she shows up there too. That way we can get her to knock it off and Willow doesn’t have to be the one to confront her.”

“Eh…I dunno about that...”

“Trust me! We can have Edric and Emira there as backup too. Power in numbers,” she says confidently, flashing a smile. “I can even text them right now.”

[Luz]: heyy wanna help set up a group of snobby freshmen that are harassing willow so we can call the ringleader out and get her to stop  
[Edric]: oh hell ueah when i sthis happenign  
[Emira]: edric please restrain yourself  
[Emira]: weapons or no weapons  
[Amity]: we aren’t trying to get arrested for assault here  
[Emira]: alright no weapons

“They’re in.”

She smiles a little as she reads the conversation from Luz’s phone. “If you think it’ll work, then I’m in too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bitcha is in for a ride next chapter uwu
> 
> again sorry for this short chapter, was gonna include the confrontation in with this one but I wanna hear your opinion on this first
> 
> also don't stalk anyone and if you think you are being stalked please tell an adult and get help


	18. Put Your Foot Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // boscha is racist/transphobic/lesbophobic and uses a couple slurs at one point

Tuesday afternoon Luz and Amity are huddled together, eagerly awaiting a text from Willow to confirm that Boscha showed up again. It’s not until sometime after four that they receive it with the signal to begin their plan.

Luz presses the FaceTime call button and stares at the image of them as Willow waits a moment before picking up. She glances over at Amity and blushes. “You look just as cute on video.”

Amity gives her a playful nudge, heart fluttering. There’s a shuffling noise as Willow picks up, and her camera quickly switches over to reveal the interior of a store. Bright pink hair barely stands out among the flowers but it’s easy to tell that Boscha’s there. That academy uniform is hard to miss.

“Hey, Willow!” Luz says, eyes gleaming. “I wanted to know if you’d wanna come to the mall with me after school Friday.”

“The mall?” Willow asks, very loudly so anyone in the store can overhear. “This Friday around four?”

The pink haired girl turns her head and stares directly at her. “Yeah, I can do that! Over by the west entrance, you say? I’ll be there! Bye, Luz,” she says cheerfully, pretending to hang up. The image shakes for a bit as she angles her phone back over to Boscha, who seems to be talking to her group as she ushers them outside.

“Operation Bitcha is a go,” Luz whoops. “Oh boy, high school drama is the best. I mean, aside from her harassing you, but, you know.”

“Thanks, you two.” Willow lowers her voice to barely be above a whisper. “I can’t wait to have her leave me alone for good. And good call having Luz be the one to speak since Bitcha knows Amity’s voice. See you at school tomorrow.”

They say their goodbyes and hang up. Squealing, Luz flops down on the floor. 

Amity smiles down at her, the sound of her giggles making her feel warm and fuzzy. She lowers herself until she’s on her stomach and propped up on her elbows. “Hey Luz.”

“Hmm?” Luz looks over with that unfairly adorable face, eyes blinking innocently. Amity leans over and kisses her girlfriend on the lips. A surprised gasp comes from her.

Blushing furiously, Luz covers her hand with her mouth. “W-What was that for?”

Giggling, Amity fully lowers herself down so her head is resting on her arms. “Just my way of saying good job. I figured you’d like it.”

“I mean, you were right, I did. A lot.” Luz flips herself over and mirrors the other girl’s position. “How did you know?”

“Just a wild guess,” she replies with a smirk. Pushing herself back up she leans against the side of the bed, gesturing for Luz to come over. “I wanna cuddle you. Come here.” Her fingers make grabbing motions.

Luz obliges, crawling up so she’s seated between her legs, leaning against her chest. Amity wraps her arms around her and pulls her closer, breathing in the lemony scent of her shampoo. She’s completely relaxed, warm and soft, and Amity wishes she never has to let go.

The pair sits like that for a while and Amity nearly dozes off until Luz shifting her position snaps her out of her dreamy state. Tilting her head curiously, she watches as Luz plays with her hands.

“Something wrong?”

“Um, I was wondering, if maybe…” she bashfully turns her gaze up to meet Amity’s, giving her puppy eyes. “If it’s alright for me to practice kissing you? Like, right now?”

Amity chokes back a laugh and Luz blushes at her reaction. “Every time I think you can’t get cuter you manage to prove me wrong. Please, go for it.”

Luz’s body relaxes and she positions herself so her hands are on Amity’s shoulders, trembling slightly. She shuts her eyes and feels a warm breath on her face as Luz hesitates.

Finally, she feels the familiar sensation of Luz’s lips pressed against her own, though it’s barely longer than the night they started dating.

“God, this is so embarrassing! Amity, how do you manage to do it?” she hears Luz exclaim.

Keeping her eyes shut, she feels the corners of her mouth begin to curl up into a smile. “My urge to kiss you is stronger than any shame I might feel.” Amity opens one eye slightly and smirks. “You’ve managed to kiss me twice already and third time’s the charm, isn’t it?”

The other girl puffs up her cheeks, trying to come up with a good comeback. “Ugh, let me be the flirty one for once!” she finally says, voice exasperated. As she lets out a short, high pitched scream, she pulls Amity closer by her shoulders and presses their lips together again.

It’s still kind of messy but it’s filled with more than twice the confidence of the previous too combined, even with the added vibration of Luz screaming. She pulls away a second and a half later and Amity can feel the heat radiating off of her reddened face.

“How was that?”

“Hmm,” Amity hums. “You’re definitely improving, but you still need more practice. I can teach you, if you want.”

Suddenly a warm hand is pressed over her mouth. “Stop being so flirty! Do you want me to kiss you again or n-” She yanks her hand back, staring at her now wet palm and then at her girlfriend. “Did you just lick me?”

“Maybe.” She turns her head to the side, a slight bite in her voice.

Luz’s eyes soften. “Amity,” she says softly, “did I upset you?”

Amity tightens her arm around her torso and bites her lip. She doesn’t know why, all of a sudden, she’s acting like this. All she can manage is to shake her head while staring at a stray purple sock on the floor.

There’s shuffling to her right as Luz leans against the bed as well. “Come here.”

She hesitates a moment but ultimately ends up in Luz’s arms, tucking her head under her chin. Luz rubs her back as Amity lets her unease drain out of her body. “What’s the matter, tecito?”

“I dunno,” is her reply. She nuzzles farther into Luz. “Sometimes I get really overwhelmed over the simplest things. Usually I either end up snapping at someone or breaking down in tears.”

Luz hums, continuing to rub circles on her back. “Maybe all the little things added up and the last thing just happened to be your breaking point. If you feel overwhelmed, make sure to tell me, okay? We could come up with a signal for it, like blinking three times or bumping my elbow. How does that sound?”

“Mm, that works. Thanks, Luz.”

Amity may be unable to see her but she can hear the smile in her voice. “Anytime.”

~~~

“Remind me why you three chose to squish yourselves back there when there’s a perfectly good row in front of you,” Emira says from the front of the car as they’re waiting in line to exit the student parking lot.

The trio giggles like a bunch of schoolgirls--which, technically, they are. “Because we couldn’t decide who should sit alone in the back. We love each other too much, right?” Luz replies, throwing her arms over the other two’s shoulders and pulling them in, eliciting more giggles. 

Edric stares at them with a somewhat unamused expression. “Ugh, teenage girls are a lot to handle. So glad I’m not one.”

His twin snickers, completely seeing through his facade. “What are you doing here in a car with four teenage girls then? And it’s not like teenage boys are much better.”

“Ugh, teenage boys are even worse. Compared to them I’ll take teenage girls any day. And it’s not just because I’m a gay man,” he states, crossing his arms, “it’s becuse teenage boys are gross.”

Emira’s snickering turns into full blown laughter. “You think you’re a man,” she says between laughs. “Oh, that’s hilarious. Last I checked we’re both still only sixteen.”

“What are you laughing about?” Amity asks, pausing her part of the double thumb war Luz is trying to do. 

“Ed thinks th-“

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing, don’t worry about it,” he interjects. “You wanna listen to some music?”

Emira seems to immediately forget about what they were talking about. “Oh, put on the one we were listening to last weekend!”

Luz watches curiously as Amity perks up and starts shaking her right foot in anticipation. As soon as the music starts all three Blight siblings start to sing along in sync, though Amity’s is more so a faint whisper. The twins are acting like they’re performing on broadway.

 _She must really like this song,_ Luz thinks as she stares at her girlfriend’s beaming face. Her foot shifts to tap to the tempo and her head bobs along as well. 

Amity doesn’t realize she’s being watched until the first song is over. “I, uh…” she starts, nervously tucking a stray hair back behind her ear. 

“That was adorable,” Luz says, eyes still on Amity. 

Her cheeks pinken and she shyly meets her gaze with a small smile. “Thanks, Luz.” She also happens to momentarily meet Willow’s smug gaze peering out from behind her. 

Instead of saying anything, Willow instead decides to ask about the song that just played. 

The twins seem more than happy to answer her. “It’s about Henry VIII’s six wives, so it’s a historical musical,” Edric explains. 

“It’s called _Six: The Musical_ and tells the story from their point of view,” Emira continues. “But with dancing and bomb ass music.”

“Plus the cast is made up of pretty women, which is why Em and Mittens like it so much. Especially the actress from the American tour cast who played Anne of Cleves…” he trails off when he sees two pairs of eyes staring daggers at him. “Oh whoops, would you look at that, my hand slipped and now we’re listening to Disney movie songs!”

Luz claps her hands together and sits up. “Now _this_ I can sing along to!” A huge grin is spread across her hands as ‘Let it Go’ starts playing.

All too soon they’re already at the mall, all five giddy from their carpool karaoke session. Emira parks and turns the engine off, turning to face the three freshmen in the back. “Edric and I are going in first to make sure Bitcha isn’t here yet and then you two bring in Willow. We’re waiting on the circle bench opposite of the doors and by the north hallway, you two the same but the south hallway, and Willow hides in that small toy store to the right.”

The girls nod. 

“If she does happen to be there, we’ll meet you outside the entrance and make a shield in front of Willow when we enter. But if the first plan works then you two are the ones to confront her and we’re there if you need backup. Got it?”

After a chorus of confirmations Emira pumps her fist in the air. “Let’s go teach this bitch a lesson!” She pauses and looks at Amity. “Happen to change your mind on the weapons part?” When she receives a glare she shrugs. “Guess not. It’s go time!”

They all exit the car and the twins head to the doors while the others mill about, hoods pulled over their heads just in case. Once Amity receives a text with the all clear, they head inside as well. Willow slips into the toy store and the couple takes their place on the circle bench. 

At 3:56 Boscha and her four lackeys come through the entrance. Amity rolls her eyes; of course the one time Boscha is early for something it’s for this. 

The pink haired girl scans the area around her, clearly irritated that she doesn’t see Willow. She does see Amity, however, who purposefully made sure she was the one closest to the door and in her line of sight.

“Hey, look who it is. Haven’t seen you since, like September. Miss me?” Boscha says as she slinks over. 

Amity looks up with a cold stare. “Nope.”

Loudly blowing a bubble and popping the piece of bubblegum in her mouth, she looks offended for a moment before she shakes her head. “You know, at this rate the little social status you have left is going to be destroyed, if it isn’t already.”

Amity just shrugs. “I think I made it better. Actually, I know I did. My social status was dead when I was friends with you.”

Boscha scoffs, now clearly offended. “And just who did you befriend that could possibly be better than _me_?” she asks incredulously. 

With a smirk, she gestures with her head to her left. “Her.”

Boscha stomps over to get a better view of this ‘mystery person’, and when she does, she laughs. “Seriously? The loser from the arcade. I thought you would’ve gotten sick of her ages ago.”

“Stop it,” Amity warns. 

She doesn’t listen. “Just look at her! Her mom is probably undocumented.”

Luz, who stayed silent the entire time, stands up angrily before Amity can say anything. “Don’t you DARE talk about my mom like that! She’s perfectly legal and had been long before I was even born.” 

“Excuse me, but who gave you the right to speak to me? Because I sure didn’t.” She looks around her to emphasize her point. “Feisty, aren’t you? Who even has hair that short nowadays anyways? Oh, that’s right, only delusional girls who think they’re boys and dykes. So which are you, hm? A tranny or a dyke?”

“I said STOP,” Amity shouts as she reaches her limit. “What the hell is your problem? You’re so butthurt that I found someone cooler than you that you decide to be racist and transphobic and use two slurs, all in the span of 30 seconds?! There must be a typo on your birth certificate,” she walks up until she’s mere inches away from Boscha, noticing how she shrinks back a little now that they’re nearly the same height. “Because your name isn’t Boscha, it’s _Bitcha_ ,” she hisses, venom dripping from every word. 

Boscha’s eyes go wide and her already pink face turns even redder. Kat, Skara, and Amelia behind her have to suppress their laughter, causing her to whip around and glower at them. 

“Another thing,” Amity says, walking back to where she was previously sitting. “Luz isn’t a dyke.”

Boscha turns back to her, eyes narrowed and hands clenched into fists. 

She holds out a hand and Luz takes it, intertwining their fingers as she stands up. Amity fixes a pointed look at her former friend. “But I am.”

“You’re bluffing,” Boscha spits out, face nearly matching the shade of her hair at this point. “I don’t know why, but you’re bluffing.”

“You really think so? Do you think someone who was ‘merely bluffing’ would do this?” With a smirk Amity tilts Luz’s head up slightly and kisses her on the lips. To her surprise and delight, Luz kisses back, even holding the kiss for a few seconds. 

As they seperate, Boscha stares at them, sputtering. Amity chuckles. “Unlike you, Boscha, I’m comfortable with my sexuality. I don’t go around with my internal homophobia, bullying every single girl I have a crush on.”

“Y-You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, face paling slightly. 

“Oh, but I do. That cheerleader in seventh grade, and,” she points behind Boscha, “her.”

Slowly turning around, Boscha finds Willow with her arms crossed. “H-hey, Flowers! What are you doing outside of your natural habitat?”

Willow ignores her, walking past and stopping next to Amity. She glares at the girl across from her, waiting for Boscha to become visibly uncomfortable. 

“Did you really think, after your nasty attitude and backhanded comments, that I would be interested in you? Let alone what I just witnessed you do to my friends.”

Boscha is completely pale at this point, trembling. “You saw that?” she whispers quietly. 

“I saw everything. You harassing Amity, harassing Luz, using slurs, the transphobia, not to mention the disguising racism you used against her. If you’re okay being racist to someone of latino origin, who’s to say you aren’t okay with being racist to an east asian girl like me?”

Adjusting her glasses, she continues. “I also saw you come into my dad’s flower shop far more often than was necessary. So Luz here,” she points to her left, “came up with the plan to set you up. Did you know what you’re doing is stalking?”

“I, I just…”

“No. You crossed the line ages ago and crossed another one entirely when you decided to come here exactly when you knew I would be. You’re absolutely pathetic, Boscha. We aren’t in preschool anymore, you don’t bully someone to say you like them. Learn how to flirt properly and stop being a complete and utter ass to everyone around you and maybe then someone will accept your feelings.” 

The twins had, at some point during Willow’s speech, each taken a place at the ends of the group. Boscha cowers, eyes flitting between the five pairs on her. She finally dashes out the doors, leaving the three girls who came in with her shocked and speechless. They look at each other and then over at Amity’s group, unsure what to do next. 

“Go after her and make sure she doesn’t get hit by a car or something,” Amity tells them. “But Skara, Kat, and Amelia, I know you’re all actually nice people. Stop letting someone like Boscha decide how you behave and who you associate with. See you around.”

They nod and scurry outside to find their friend—or ex friend, Amity hopes. But before she can breathe in relief, Luz tugs her sleeve. 

“Hey, uh, turns out a lot of people were watching us the whole time and it seems some were recording us. Should we go? I think we should. Just, uh not out those doors.”

Emira begins to usher them away. “There’s bathrooms down a long hallway over here, we can wait there for a bit,” she whispers. 

“So, that didn’t exactly go according to plan, huh.” Edric leans against a wall, biting the inside of his cheek. 

It really hadn’t. Willow was supposed to stay out of it completely, not get caught in the middle. But when Amity saw her behind Boscha, fuming, she knew she couldn’t hold her back even if she tried.

“You okay, lemon drop?” Luz asks gently, refraining from touching her. She knows that if Amity is this angry that physical contact is a bad idea. 

Taking a deep breath, she shakes her head. “No, not really. I’m beyond pissed that she said those things to you with no hesitation whatsoever. I knew she was a bitch but that’s some of the worst stuff she’s ever said.”

“I would say to not mind it because the things she said aren’t things I haven’t heard before, but it really was uncalled for. It hurts to watch someone you care about get bullied like that.”

Amity shuts her eyes, attempting to control the trembling that comes when she gets really angry. She may have seemed rather calm and collected during the fight, but she was seething underneath the entire time. If she doesn’t get this anger under control she may start punching the wall.

That same gentle voice speaks to her again. “Four counts in, eight counts out. Can you do that?”

She nods stiffly. In for four, out for eight. In for four, out for eight. In for four…

A minute or so later she no longer has the overwhelming urge to beat the living hell out of something. “Thanks, Luz,” she says, offering a small smile. Luz only winks at her.

“Are you okay too, Willow?” 

Willow smiles and gives two thumbs up. “Couldn’t be better. Asides from that nasty stuff she said to Luz, of course. And asides from not being able to punch her in the face.”

“Hey, y’all wanna go get some ice cream or something? There’s a really good place not too far from here. It’s on us,” Emira puts a hand on Edric’s shoulder. “As our way of saying we’re proud of you. We’ve known that little brat just as long as Amity has and have never seen her so shaken up.”

Luz cheers. “Thank you! I never say no to ice cream. So long as it isn’t made out of real cream.”

Emira chuckles. “Ed here gets sick as a dog if he has dairy, so I know where the safe places are.” Her face turns deadpan and she looks the three of them in the eye. “Also, if Boscha does anything to any one of you ever again I’m bringing out the weapons. I know how to hide a body.”

Edric claps his hands. “Let’s go get that ice cream before you learn how to commit a murder and get away with it, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *quietly adds hurt/comfort to the tags*
> 
> I absolutely hate myself for adding in ANOTHER bit about a musical with songs I really like but I don't wanna edit it out so you're all stuck with it
> 
> also 750 kudos and 14k+ views???? this is unbelievable and it makes me so happy ladkfhlshgdf I'm at the point where I'm getting too many comments to reply to them all but I do read each and every one
> 
> shoutout to everyone in the discord server who reads my fic. you know who you are uwu tell me your thoughts


	19. Broken Bottles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // mental breakdown

It takes four days for a video someone recorded of the fight at the mall to turn viral. The quality of the recording isn’t the best, as they never are, but it’s pretty clear that the girl with mostly minty hair is Amity. Which means if Amity’s parents see it, they’ll know their youngest daughter came out as lesbian and kissed a girl in public.

She isn’t too worried about it, though. Adjusting to the schedule of the track team is more of a challenge for her. 

Amity knows no one on the team. At least, no one she’s had to speak to before. Some members give her a few glances throughout practice, which probably means they’ve seen the video (or they could just be looking at the freshman with dyed hair that stands out so much, but her mind chooses to think otherwise).Them knowing she’s gay or dating Luz isn’t a problem, she doesn’t keep her relationship a secret at school. 

It’s having eyes on her and not knowing why, not knowing what they’re thinking. Anxiety overwhelms her and by the time practice is finally over, she’s on the brink of tears.

Sitting in the back of the locker room, the chatter of other girls fading out the door, Amity sighs and puts her head in her hands. Today was a lot and she really would rather not have a breakdown in the locker room, of all places. At least bathroom stalls give her some privacy, but if she’s managed to hold herself together this long, she thinks she’ll be okay.

Luz, bless her heart, decided to stay after and wait for her girlfriend to be finished so they could spend a little more time together. The twins did too, but only Luz is waiting outside the gym.

She smiles when she sees her girlfriend finally walk out, but it quickly falters. “What’s wrong, lemon drop? Did someone say something to you?”

Amity stops just outside the doorway, face crumpling as tears she tried to hold back threaten to spill out. Luz rushes up to her, gently covering the hands that she didn’t realize had become fisted and were now pressed against her chest. “Do you want me to get Edric and Emira for you?” she asks, her voice gentle.

With a sniffle Amity shakes her head. She opens her mouth to say she’s fine, that there’s nothing to worry about, but all that comes out is a sob and the tears flow. Today just had to be the cherry on top to all the building up stress that she so foolishly had decided to bottle up.

Now all the bottles are broken and everything that made her feel even the slightest bit of fear or anxiety comes crashing back down on her. A tsunami of negative emotions.

_A breakdown in front of Luz. Good going, Amity. Now she gets to see you at your most vulnerable,_ she berates herself. _She gets to see that you have a weak side._

Through blurry eyes she sees Luz lead her down the hallway and to the little alcove near the band room, where she has her sit down. Amity immediately throws herself in Luz’s arms, burying her face in her shoulder.

_But she’s not your mother. Luz wouldn’t think any less of you, of me, for this. Only your mother has a mind twisted enough to say that showing emotion is bad. That showing that you have any weaknesses is detrimental._

_That it’s nothing but a stain on the Blight name._

_Besides, I know Luz is actually going to comfort me._

Luz sits there, holding her tightly but gently, as Amity cries. From her own experience, and from getting to know Amity over the last five months, she knows that having someone there to ground her is going to make the breakdown recovery go a lot smoother. Amity hasn’t said a whole lot about her parents and she still hasn’t met them, but from what she’s gathered they aren’t the most… nurturing.

Eventually, Amity’s crying slows to a stop and she reluctantly lets go of Luz. Wiping an eye with a hoodie sleeve, she smiles meekly. “Sorry about that, Luz.”

“Hey, there is literally nothing you have to apologize for. Are you feeling better now?”

She nods. “Yeah, much better. This is going to give me one heck of a headache tonight though.” Amity leans her head back against her chest, closing her eyes as she feels the heartbeat pulse steadily beneath her.

“Here, take these.”

Opening her eyes she sees Luz holding a travel pack of tissues and her water bottle. She accepts them and closes her eyes again as her girlfriend’s thumb runs small circles on her back. 

Luz is the one to break the peaceful silence between them. “Do you want to talk about what was bothering you?”

Amity considers it for a moment. If she keeps it all inside she'll just have another breakdown later, and probably at a much more inconvenient time. But if she tells Luz maybe she could help her. They’re dating now, after all. Couples are supposed to share their problems, right?

“Remember when I snapped at you last week? That was partly me taking out my anxiety over starting track on you. I’m sorry about that.”

“Hey,” Luz cuts her off. “You’ve already apologized three times for that and I said it was alright. Everyone gets like that sometimes, it’s totally natural. But you were really nervous about starting track?”

“Yeah,” she admits. “This school is new, I have three friends, and none of them are on the team with me. I was finally used to my new routine and now there’s something new disrupting all of it.”

Pausing, Amity takes a deep breath and nuzzles a little further into Luz. “Plus a lot of people kept looking at me funny like they have been all day, and I didn’t have anyone there to help me ignore it. They were probably just trying to figure out if I was the girl from the video, but what if they weren’t? What if they were judging me for some other reason?”

Luz takes a moment to respond. “I wish I could help you, I really do, but I’m only able to offer emotional support. I’m not exactly an advice type of person.”

“That’s more than enough,” Amity replies. “My parents were never willing to do that. If I came to them because I was scared about something or I hurt myself, they’d tell me to suck it up or get over it or that my own negligence caused my pain. So I learned pretty early on that emotional support from them was never gonna happen.”

There’s a pause and the thumb on her back stops for a moment. “I’m sorry you had to deal with parents as awful as them. They’re supposed to help their children.” Her voice is sad, with a hint of anger and bitterness.

“I wasn’t alone, though. I had the twins to help me. To my mom and dad I’m an overly sensitive child, to my siblings I’m just their younger sister. They may tease me often but they’re willing to drop anything to help me if I’m in trouble.”

Amity stops to take a sip from her water bottle. The cold liquid soothes her burning throat. “I think they decided a long time ago that they weren’t going to let me grow up like they did, at least to the best of their abilities. Mom has them do almost everything together for that ‘twin aesthetic’ so they have each other, while I’m not a multiple.”

“They sound like your guardian angels,” Luz laughs softly. “Having one of those would’ve been nice.”

Amity giggles. “More like guardian devils, if you ask me. They’ll protect me and anyone I’m attached to with no hesitation but will raise hell on those who do harm. So you do have some now, so long as you don’t get on my bad side.”

Luz snickers as a pair of echoing voices coming closer grabs Amity’s attention. Edric spots them first, wildly waving his arm up in the air while Emira cups a hand around her mouth to call out at them.

“Time to go, you lovebugs. I’m hungry and wanna get something to eat.”

“Speak of the devils,” Amity mutters as she very unwillingly separates herself from her girlfriend and stands up, slipping her backpack back on.

The twins’ cheerful smiles fall when they’re close enough to get a good look at her. “Your eyes are all red and puffy, were you crying?” Emira asks, frowning. “What happened?”

“I just got a bit overwhelmed, don’t worry about it. Everything is okay now.”

The older girl hums, clearly not fully believing her. She stares at the hand holding onto Luz’s with a tighter than average grip and shoots Edirc a look, who nods in return.

“It’s a little early, but how do you two feel about going to get takeout for dinner? Amity’s choice. We can have a little party and eat in the car, if you want.”

Amity smiles. “That would be nice.

Emira puts her hand on Amity’s shoulder as they’re walking out to the car. “I’m always willing to commit homicide if anyone is bullying you, so you know,” she whispers, smirking as her little sister rolls her eyes.

“You said that last week, Emira.”  
“No, I said I knew how to hide a body. Not that I’m willing to commit homicide. There’s a difference between an accident with a weapon and straight up murder. I’ll let you think about it, ‘kay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this to be a longer chapter but I could not for the life of me think of anything else to add in so you got this
> 
> next chapter(s) are going to be fluffy!! may or may not have to do with a winter dance that I've been wanting to write for ages
> 
> good news though!! I decided that I'm going to make this fic longer than I originally planned so you all get to see these two dorks spend spring and summer together and then go into sophomore year. a certain... antagonist may or may not show up and try to create drama


	20. Cuddle Me Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this at 3 am this morning but passed out before I could post it but here it is the long awaited chapter 20 "you updated like two days ago" the long awaited chapter 20

Track practice doesn’t get a whole lot better, but at least it seems that Amity’s teammates no longer feel the need to stare at her so often. All those eyes finally off of her do make her feel slightly more at ease, but she still knows no one on the team.

No one tries to speak to her and she doesn’t try to speak to any of them, which is fine by Amity. It’s the loneliness and out of place feeling she still gets that irk her. She experienced it all throughout fifth through eighth grade and becoming friends with Luz, as well as reuniting with Willow, finally kicked those emotions to the curb.

But they come rushing back when she’s with the team, doing warm ups or training alone while all the others are in groups, talking amongst themselves. She only has to endure it for a few hours a week, however, and Luz has (so far) been waiting for her when practice is over. Seeing someone light up over her presence when Amity spent the last couple hours feeling invisible shoos those negative feelings away. Knowing she matters to someone is extremely reassuring.

After her fourth practice, she notices some students hanging new posters around the school as she’s walking with Luz down the hallway to meet the twins.

“Ooh, what’re these for?” Luz pulls her over to the wall, eyes scanning the blue flyer taped up. She gasps and Amity feels her hand tighten around hers. “I didn’t know you guys have a winter dance here!”

“We do?” Amity looks at the poster herself. “Huh, you’re right. Saturday, February 13th. Is this a winter dance or a Valentine's dance?”

“Winter, Valentine’s, same thing,” Luz waves her hand.

Amity stares at her. “They’re very different-”

“Tomato, tomato. What really matters,” she cuts her off, “is that I can dance in public without people looking at me like I have four heads again.”

The taller girl continues to stare at her, raising an eyebrow. “If you start Fortnite dancing I think people will look at you funny regardless of the fact it’s a school dance,” she says with a snicker.

“Hey, that was one time!” Luz huffs, putting her free hand on her hip. “And you know you loved it. It was adorable.”

With a roll of her eyes Amity tugs her girlfriend away from the tantalizing piece of paper and to the back entrance of school, where the twins are having fun tossing paper airplanes down from the second floor. She was right though, she did love it and she did find it adorable. If Luz does the same thing again, she’d still love it no matter how much it makes her cringe.

~~~

Monday morning Amity wakes up with a pounding headache after a long night of restless sleep. She turns her remaining alarms off and pushes herself into a sitting position--which takes more energy than she expected it to. Her ears are clogged, she finds, and she can’t seem to get them to pop.

 _These are either some really bad allergies today or I’m getting sick,_ she thinks. She had felt a little under the weather the last few days but chalked it up to seasonal allergies. While she tries to yawn she’s interrupted by a few violent coughs and she can feel the unpleasant sensation of mucus get coughed up along with the air. Amity wrinkles her nose as she fumbles for a tissue, spitting it out and groaning. _Sick it is._

Pulling herself out of bed onto two wobbly legs and a body that feels like lead she slowly walks down the hall to one of the twins’ rooms, leaning against the wall for support. She comes across Edric’s first and, by some miracle, he’s already awake.

He sees Amity peek around the doorframe and looks surprised to see her there, still in pajamas and with messy hair. “You need somethin’, Mittens?”

She sighs and presses her cheek against the cool wood. “I think I’m sick,” she says, her voice as congested as she feels.

Edric winces. “You definitely sound sick.” He gets up and brushes her hair off of her forehead with one hand, feeling her temperature with the other. “Hm, it doesn’t feel quite like a fever but you’re still a bit warm. Let me get a thermometer.”

Amity nods, letting herself slide down the wall until she’s sitting on the floor. “I’m just gonna wait here.”

There’s some shuffling in the bathroom and Edric returns in under a minute, thermometer in hand. He brushes her hair back again and places the metal tip against her temple, the device beeping just seconds later. “99.8 degrees,” he hums. “Low grade fever. Hang tight for a minute, alright? I’m going to go talk to Em.”

She watches as he goes and knocks on Emira’s door, slipping inside the room. The voices are too muffled for her to hear clearly but she can still pick up on the worried tone they have. She nearly drifts back off to sleep in the process of waiting.

“We’re gonna take you to the doctor, Amity. Can you stand?” A gentle, feminine voice asks her. It’s Emira. 

She can, just barely, and has to lean against her sister while going down the stairs. Her boots and winter jacket are handed to her after she nearly collapses on the couch. She tries to stand back up once they’ve been put on, but her feet won’t cooperate, so she stumbles.

Edric is there to catch her before she falls face first into the coffee table. “Okay, I’m carrying you to the car. We don’t need to take you to the emergency room for a broken nose as well. You’re in enough pain already.”

Amity makes no effort to object, honestly quite glad she doesn’t have to walk. Soon enough she’s on her brother’s back piggyback ride style, arms wrapped around his neck while her chin rests on his shoulder. He’s warm, which is nice, but the air outside is cold, which is also nice.

The trip to and from the doctor Amity can’t remember all too well. She does remember being carried by Edric into the building and the doctor pressing against her sinuses--which hurt quite a bit, then sitting in the car at a pharmacy. Emira carries her back inside the house, she thinks, and now she’s back in bed, wearing clean pajamas.

Her hair has been brushed and put up out of her face, courtesy of her sister as well. A pill, concerningly large, is in her hand, easily the size of the last joint of her pinky finger. It’s been split in half but even so is still awfully big. A cup of warm apple cider is in her other hand, the scent making her mouth water. Apparently she hasn’t had anything to drink yet today.

She takes a sip of the liquid, popping one half of her antibiotics in her mouth before she throws her head back, eyes squeezed shut as she swallows. Amity repeats the process with the other half as well as the pain medication, quickly finishing off the rest of her drink afterwards. The flavor lingers on her tongue and is a much welcomed break from what she coughed up earlier.

“You sure you don’t want either of us to stay home to watch over you?” Emira asks, sitting on the edge of her bed. When Amity shakes her head she takes the empty cup from her.

With a small sigh she ruffles her hair gently. “We already called the school and told Luz, so just take it easy and rest. There’s more medicine on your nightstand you can take later and Edric made you a lunch for when you’re hungry. Text us if you need anything, okay?”

Yawning, she nods as she lies down. Emira makes sure she’s tucked in before the extra weight on her bed disappears. Shortly after, the sound of a car driving away is followed by silence as she drifts back to sleep.

~~~

“Hey Amity,” a soft, singsongy voice calls out, pulling her out of her third peaceful nap of the day.

She blinks her eyes open, a blurry image of her sister slowly coming into focus. Emira is half in the doorway, grinning.

“We brought you a guest since you’re not contagious,” she says, Luz stepping into view. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Mind still foggy, Amity doesn’t fully process what just happened until Luz is right next to her. 

“Hey,” she says, a soft smile on her lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Awful,” Amity admits. “But a lot better now that you’re here.” Taking one of Luz’s hands, she puts it on top of her head. 

Her girlfriend gets the message and starts stroking her hair, nails occasionally making contact with her scalp. It’s pure bliss and if humans could purr, she definitely would be right now. 

“Hey Luz,” Amity murmurs, gazing up. “Did you miss me today?” 

Luz blushes, her hand pausing for a moment. “Maybe a little,” she says, shifting her eyes away from Amity.

Seeing her with an expression like that makes Amity’s heart leap in her chest. She pats the empty spot to her left. “Come here, I want you to spoon me.”

“I- you really want me to?” Luz sputters, her face heating up. 

Amity gives her puppy eyes. “Yes, because I missed you too. It’s not like we haven’t cuddled before, you dork.” She somehow finds the energy to banter with her even though she could barely walk that morning.

Hesitantly, Luz lies on the bed behind her and slips under the covers, scooting forward until their bodies are flush. It’s only very slightly awkward since Amity is the taller one but aside from that, they fit together like two puzzle pieces. As nice as it feels, it isn’t quite what she wants.

“I change my mind,” she says, turning over. Luz’s wide brown eyes stare back at her, accompanied by still flushed cheeks. Amity smirks and positions herself so her head is tucked under Luz’s chin, leaning against her chest. “This is better.”

The other girl squeaks when Amity wraps her arms around her, pulling her close. “This is better.”

“You’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days,” Luz mutters. Eventually her arms are wrapped around Amity as well. “This is… much more intimate than the other times we’ve cuddled, so you know.”

“Are you complaining, Noceda?” she asks jokingly, tilting her head back to look her in the face. Luz refuses to meet her gaze. “Because we can stop if you really don’t like it. I’m just in the mood for cuddles,” she says with a more serious tone.

“No! No, we don’t have to stop. I don’t want to. This is just new for me, that’s all. Please don’t stop.”

Giggling, she returns to where she was, smiling as her cheek is pressed against her. “This is new for me too.” A few minutes of comfortable silence pass, Amity beyond relaxed just being in Luz’s arms. “Your heart is beating really fast,” she comments. “It’s going all badump badump badump.”

“Huh, I wonder whose fault that would be,” Luz hums. “Definitely couldn’t be my super cute girlfriend being in such close proximity to me. That would be ridiculous. I think I can guess why yours is just as fast, though.”

“Oh, can you? Please, enlighten me with your wisdom, Luzura the Soothsayer.”

“First off, Luzura is a witch, not a soothsayer. And if I’m right, do I get a reward?” Luz asks, and even though she can’t see, she’s sure there’s a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Depends, what is the reward you so desire?”

Luz clicks her tongue as she thinks. “Well, this probably isn’t the smartest thing to do when you’re sick, but…” she hesitates, the volume of her voice lowering, “I want a kiss.”

Amity blushes. “I-I suppose I can do that, if you want.”

“Great! Uh, is your pulse racing because you’re cuddling me like this, perhaps?”

“Not exactly,” she says. She can feel Luz’s embrace become disappointed, her arms drooping and grip lessening. “But,” she changes position again so they’re eye level, “you’re partially correct and I wanna kiss you anyways.”

Blinking, Luz looks at her questiongly. “The correct answer was because you’re here with me, you dummy,” Amity laughs. “My heart is always beating a million times a second when I’m around you.”

While Luz is letting those words sink in, Amity closes the short distance between them and gives her a quick kiss on the lips. It’s over just as quickly as it happened and Luz doesn’t seem to appreciate that, face wrinkled in mock annoyance.

Amity looks at her girlfriend innocently. “What, you asked for a kiss and you got one. What’s the problem, Luzura the not a Soothsayer?”

Luz pouts and puffs out her cheeks. “I wanted a longer one,” she mumbles. “I haven’t seen you since Friday and all you give me is a quick peck. That’s mean, Amity.”

_Lord help me this girl is too cute._

Before Amity can respond Luz herself is the one to close the gap, kissing her gently. It lasts a few seconds and when she pulls away, she looks surprisingly bashful.

Now the one left speechless, Amity’s insides are swirling with butterflies. Luz missing her so much, taking initiative, and looking so utterly adorable is almost too much for her to handle.

“Do that again,” she breathes, too quiet for even Luz to hear. “Do that again,” she repeats, louder, with an intensity and desperateness in her voice that even she didn’t expect. Maybe because it’s because track has been stressing her out so much or because she’s the sickest she’s been in nearly a year, but she needs Luz to kiss her again. She needs Luz to be closer, as close as she can possibly be. She needs to feel overwhelming evidence that Luz really does like her.

Luz moves a hand to cup Amity’s cheek, the contact sending tingles across her skin and Amity involuntarily leans into her touch. She sees that her lips are pursed slightly, still nervous about being the one to start kisses, but it quickly ceases as she leans forward.

Amity shuts her eyes and feel’s Luz’s soft lips press against hers, everything in the world around them disappearing. Only she and Luz exist, embracing one another, a sweet kiss being shared between them.

That is, until a yelp from her doorway startles them both, forcing them apart.

Emira is standing there, face red and a hand covering her mouth. “S-Sorry, I just wanted to see if Luz wanted a snack. I see she already has one though.”

“N-now that you mention it, I haven’t eaten since lunch. Please give me food,” Luz stutters, face painted crimson. She scrambles to get out from under the covers and stands up, running a hand through her hair.

Amity follows, legs steadier than earlier, though absolutely mortified. They follow Emira downstairs and to the kitchen, where she inspects the contents of the fridge.

“Hey Luz, you’re the reason we started getting mango juice, right?”

Luz tilts her head while Amity puts her face in her hands.

“That first day Amity went over to your house she mentioned that she really liked it so we’ve had some in our fridge ever since,” Emira explains. “Want some?”

“Aww, Amity, I had an influence on you that early on? And yes please.”

Amity just buries her face further into her hands.

Shortly after, three glasses are placed on the table along with a pack of cookies. Amity murmurs a thanks, drawing her knees up to her chest while holding the cool glass in her hands.

“So,” Emira starts, finger tapping on the table. “About what I walked into…”

Luz groans and puts her head on the table and Amity tries to hide behind her knees. “We were just kissing, I swear. Not even with tongue! We haven’t gotten that far yet,” Luz mumbles.

“I don’t mind if you do that, but if this is what you do when one of you is sick, I think we need to keep the door open a bit when you’re both healthy.”

There’s an awkward silence that follows.

“This is totally in no way related to me being jealous of my fifteen year old baby sister getting a girlfriend and her first kiss before I did, and both to the same person, by the way,” Emira says nonchalantly, sipping her drink. “Totally not jealous of you having a girlfriend.”

Amity can’t help but laugh. “Do we need to help set you up with Viney? I know you and Willow tried to set me and Luz up but you didn’t really succeed. I got this,” she gestures to Luz, who is busy trying to shove two whole cookies into her mouth at once, “on my own. After an impulsive move, maybe, but I still did it.”

Her sister pauses, considering her offer. “I don’t see any harm in it, I guess. Hit me with your best shot, you funky little lesbian and funky little bisexual.”

“Oh, I have the perfect idea!” Luz exclaims, giving up on trying to magically make her mouth big enough for two cookies. “Ask her to the winter dance! But specify you want her to go with you as an actual date, not as ‘just a friend’ this time.”

“Huh, that’s actually not a bad idea. But,” she grins, “isn’t that what you did to Amity for homecoming. Asked her as ‘just a friend’?”

Luz pouts again. “You’re deflecting! That was different.”

Amity giggles and reaches to get a cookie for herself. “You’ve known Viney for years already. Luz only knew me for a month when she asked and she didn’t know if I was gay. I also don’t know if either of us realized our feelings yet.”

“Ugh, okay, fine, you’re both right. I’ll ask Viney to go to the winter dance with me. Happy?” She crosses her arms, looking defeated.

“If it goes well you can ask her to go with you to prom too,” Luz says excitedly.

Emira puts her hands up. “Okay, one step at a time here. Can I ask her through text?”

“Absolutely not,” Luz and Amity say in sync. Emira looks exasperated.

“People say soulmates are a myth but they clearly haven’t met you two,” she sighs. “I call dibs on maid of honor at your wedding, by the way.”

They both blush and Emira snickers, reveling in their embarrassed expressions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is so close to 1000 kudos and I aaaAAAAAAAAAAA you have no idea how excited I am knowing this dumb human au managed to get so popular
> 
> it makes me really happy knowing other people enjoy my writing and this fic is far from over
> 
> sorry I can't reply to all the comments you guys leave there's so many and I don't wanna reply with "thank youuuu" to most of them
> 
> anyways, fluffy sick chapter and some plot development? do slice of life stories really have plot? either way keep your eyes open for upcoming fluff


	21. Viney Still Exists and Everyone is Still Gay

Amity slips into the library, giving the faculty member at the front desk--a young, tired looking college age guy--a nod as she scans her school ID. She scurries past, keychains on her backpack clinking together. The handful of students she pass give her quick glances to see where the noise is coming from, but she pays them no mind.

Viney is in the back, in the exact same spot she was when Amity asked her for advice back in November. She sees--or rather, she hears--her approach, putting her lanyard in the book to hold her place.

“Need something?” she says with a smile, voice low so only the other girl can hear her, fish hook earring swaying as she tilts her head.

Amity grabs a nearby stool and pulls it up next to the older girl, sitting down. She slaps her hands on the table (gently, since it’s the library after all). “Yes, actually. You know the winter dance coming up?”

Viney nods.

“Emira is jealous I got a girlfriend before her, so she agreed to let Luz and I help set her up with you.” She sees Viney choke back a laugh.

“She’s jealous of _you_?” she asks, voice thick with amusement. “That’s rich, coming from the girl who hasn’t managed to make a move over the last two years. Though, I’m still surprised you were able to snag Luz up so quickly. Which one of my methods did you use? Em refused to tell me anything because it was your personal life.”

Blushing, Amity shakes her head. “I can tell you that after I tell you what I came here for. Emira is going to ask you to go to the dance with her and she has to specify that she means as a _date_ date. If she doesn’t, you have to find a way to make her admit it.”

“And let me guess, you want me to accept her proposal?” There’s a smug grin spread across her face.

“You...you still like her, right?” Amity asks, suddenly nervous as she bites the inside of her cheek. _Does she not like my sister anymore? She did last time I asked, but that was two and a half months ago…_

Viney sees her worry and her expression softens. “Of course I do, I was just messing with ya. There’s no way I would turn her down asking me on a date that isn’t just ‘friendly’.”

The freshman lets out a sigh of relief. Part One of the plan is done, the next step is for Emira to ask Viney. Which will absolutely take a lot of encouragement on Luz and Amity’s behalf. The final step is them actually going together and, if it goes as planned, leaving as a couple.

“So, you gonna tell me how you and your little ball of sunshine finally got together?”

“Oh, right, uh…” Amity fiddles with her fingers, looking down at her lap. “Well, I planned to use a letter and I had one all ready, but I left it at home on the last day of finals and then we were at her house after and I didn’t mean for it to happen but she just looked so pretty with her flushed cheeks and tousled hair that I, um, maybe kind of sorta…. Kissed her.”

The other girl coughs to mask her surprise. “Wow, I did not expect that from you, you shy, timid little thing. But dang, that’s impressive. What happened after? Luz clearly didn’t expect something like that to happen, but it clearly worked out in the end.”

“Um, I had a panic attack so she called me down and when I was okay she offered to pretend it never happened, but I felt that way out was too selfish on my end. So I properly confessed and now we’re dating,” she says, looking everywhere but Viney’s eyes.

With a low whistle, Viney leans back in her chair. “I know for a fact that I’m missing a ton of details from after you confessed, but I think you’ll catch on fire if your face turns any redder. Go back to lunch with your girlfriend, she’s probably missing you already.”

Amity gives a quick nod and nearly bolts out of the library, ignoring the look of disapproval the desk worker gives her as she zips by. Out in the hallway, she lets Luz know that her meeting was a success.

[Amity]: the deed has been done  
[Luzura]: aw heck yea  
[Luzura]: look at us bein matchmakers uwu

~~~

Friday afternoon, Amity is nervously bouncing on her feet as she waits for Luz to finish up shoving her gym clothes into her backpack. Everyone else has already trickled to the crowd that always forms by the girls locker room door. She pulls her phone out and checks her texts for the third time in the last two minutes.

[Edric]: were gonn a preten we got somethign to so you can ask luz to the wintre dance without yoru WONDEFRUL older siblins there to embarass you  
[Emira]: yeah what were gonna do is put autocorrect on your phone  
[Edric]: you wounltd dare  
[Emira]: try me bitch  
[Edric]: oh i wgfaufgh775i5bkwhbansabfkao4865299yn&^$*Q#T  
[Edric]: ^$^(^#GHFJ  
[Emira]: dont worry about that mittens  
[Emira]: good luck asking your girlfriend to be your date to the dance even though we all know shes gonna say yes ;) ;) ;) ;)  
[Emira]: and remember to leave room for jesus when you dance ;))))))  
[Amity]: how do I legally disown both of you  
[Emira]: awww love you too

“Alright, ready to go! Sorry for making you wait, Amity,” Luz says, a cheerful smile on her face. 

“I-it’s alright. Um, Edric and Emira have to meet with a teacher about something, so we’re stuck here for a bit.” She brushes hair back behind her ear, looking down at her feet. “I actually have something to ask you, if that’s alright.”

“Whatever it is, yes,” Luz blurts out with no hesitation.

Amity puts a hand on Luz’s shoulder. “That’s very sweet of you, but you have to hear what I wanted to say before you so blindly agree,” she giggles.

Luz puts her hands up. “Alright, what is this oh so important question?”

“Uh, I don’t exactly want to ask it in the locker room,” she says, glancing around. “Come with me this way.”

The shorter girl follows her without question. Amity leads them out the other door, the one they use to come to and from the gym. Since the bell had already rung, the hallway connecting the gym to the rest of the school was empty.

Luz tilts her head, blinking those pretty brown eyes of hers. Amity gulps, her nervousness coming back. “So, I… I wanted to…” Sighing, she sets her backpack down and pulls out a folder, carefully taking out a blue envelope. She hands it to Luz, shyly making eye contact. “It might be a little early, but… Here, read this.”

Luz takes the envelope--handmade by Amity--and reads the card inside--also handmade. Her face pinkens and her eyes light up, a huge smile spreading across her face. “Yes! Oh, hold on.”

She carefully places the card out of harm’s way. “Yes!” she exclaims again, tackling Amity in a hug. “Yes yes yes, a million times yes!”

Amity can’t help but giggle. “All I did was ask you to go to the dance with me. Which is a given, since we’re dating.”

“But!” Luz lets go of her and cups her face in her hands. Amity blushes, heart pounding as those warm hands tilt her head down ever so slightly, thumbs lightly brushing over her cheeks. “You asked me this time, and you even made a card with a matching envelope.”

“You know it’s because words are hard for me,” she mutters, unable to pull her gaze away from Luz’s beaming face.

Shaking her head, her expression softens. “You express yourself differently, which for you is writing things down. You took the time and effort to _make_ a card for me, instead of passing me a note or sending a text, and I think that’s really sweet.”

The look she’s giving her nearly turns Amity’s legs to jelly. She wants nothing more than to kiss her girlfriend right here, right now.

Luz beats her to it, planting a kiss on her forehead. Even with pulling Amity down a bit, she still has to get on her tiptoes to reach. 

She squeaks as those incredibly soft lips of hers press against her forehead, leaving a tingling sensation behind. “Sorry it wasn’t on the mouth, I’m still not quite ready to do that in public yet. But we’re gonna go to our first school dance as girlfriends! I’m so excited,” Luz squeals.

Amity smiles and pulls her into an embrace. It doesn’t matter that there are still students walking past the hallway, able to see them. She’s happy, Luz is happy, and nothing could be more perfect.

Until her parents see the video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter I just couldn't help myself with that cliffhanger
> 
> BUT AAAAAAAAAAAAA THIS FIC REACHED 1K KUDOS AND 20K HITS IM EIUGFKSLJHGFKESLJHAKFJDS IM SO HAPPY


	22. A Second Confession

Edric knocks on Amity’s door the next day, peering into her room with a very anxious look. The kind of look that Amity immediately knows has to do with their parents.

Her heart drops, an acidic feeling rising in her throat. She puts her book down and walks over to the door, wringing her hands nervously. “Did they…” she starts, afraid to finish. She’s not ready for this to happen already.

He nods solemnly. “I think so, at least. Mom asked me to come tell you she wants you to speak to her. She’s with Dad in his study.”

“Did she seem mad?” Amity asks timidly, biting her lip. If this is going to happen today, she wants to prepare herself as much as she can in the minute or two she has left.

“Not mad exactly, more like, uh, concerned? Even though she has never once really cared about us so long as we were alive and breathing.” He pauses, looking up at the ceiling. “I dunno if she would really care if any of us were dead, either,” he mutters to himself. “Anyways,” he turns his attention back to Amity, “you should go before they get impatient.”

With a shaky breath, Amity nods as she mentally collects herself and shoves all her fear deep down inside her. She has to appear as calm and collected as possible, else her parents will ridicule her. Even at home, she has to appear a certain way in front of them. To uphold that damn Blight name.

Especially if they’re going to question her about Luz.

Limbs stiff she makes her way to the other side of the house, her movements almost robotic. Panic pulses through her veins; she hadn’t really stopped to think about what would happen when her parents inevitably found out about her relationship with Luz.

She doesn’t know their exact standing on homosexuality and same sex relationships. It’s been legal here for years, since before she and Willow were friends in elementary school, and they let her stay friends with her. But her parents were the ones who were gay.

This time, their daughter is the gay one. With a viral video of her kissing her girlfriend--though that wasn’t explicitly stated--and announcing she’s a lesbian, all in public.

Amity has no idea how they’ll react. And there’s no time left to think about it.

The dark wooden door looms intimidatingly in front of her and she gulps before rapping her knuckles against it twice.

From inside, she hears her mother give permission to open the door.

She does, trembling slightly, stepping into the room that’s always somehow colder than the rest of the house. Large bookshelves filled nearly to the brim with thick tomes cover most of the wall, save for an area with several file cabinets. The air feels stale.

“You wanted to see me, Mother?” Her voice feels distant, like it’s not quite coming from her herself.

“Amity,” her mother says, folding her hands on top of the unnecessarily large desk. “Could you explain to us who this girl is?” Her father spins around his laptop.

The video is up on the screen, paused on a frame where Amity is holding Luz’s hand.

 _At least it’s not a frame of me kissing her,_ she thinks. Her parents look at her expectedly, almost menacingly, and Amity considers, briefly, if she could get away with lying. But they definitely have seen that she kissed the girl, and that she’d kissed back. Which clearly shows they’re more than just friends. Lying would just make everything a bigger mess than it has to be.

With a deep breath, she opts to tell the truth. “Her name is Luz Noceda, and she’s the same year as me at Hexside High. She’s also my girlfriend,” Amity says indignantly, head held up high.

Surprise only flashes across her mother’s face briefly while her father’s remains expressionless. “I see. How long have you been dating? I don’t recall ever being informed about your relationship with her.” 

“Since early December. You don’t remember because I never told you.” She crosses her arms over her chest, staring her mother straight in the eye.

Odalia sighs. “Why didn’t you tell us about something so important? We are your parents, after all.” She almost sounds hurt.

It takes all of Amity’s self control to keep herself from scoffing. “Because I was unaware whether or not either of you were homophobic,” she states. “And if you are, then you just have to live with the fact that your youngest child is a lesbian and dating a girl.”

She’s met with silence and she steels herself for whatever response comes next.

“Oh, you’re mistaken, dear. We’re quite pleased, actually.”

She blinks in confusion. That is absolutely not what she was expecting. “You’re… happy about it?”

“Very,” her mother grins. It doesn’t suit her. “Having a daughter with a sexual orientation such as yours bears rather well for our family image. We have no reason to be against something that benefits us in such a way.”

Of course. Of course her mother would find a way to make it all about their image. Not a surprise there.

“So does this mean I can keep seeing her?” Amity asks tentatively, hands subconsciously gripping the ends of her skirt.

Odalia nods.

“I heard there is an upcoming dance at your school. Are you planning on bringing Luz as you date?” Her father speaks for the first time since she entered the room.

“Uh, yes, I am. I asked her yesterday and she accepted.”

“Very well,” Alador says, turning the laptop back to face him. “In that case, I would like to meet her before the dance. Will that work?” It’s an order, not a question. He turns his gaze from the screen up to his daughter. 

“Y-yes, Father. Is that all you wished to discuss with me?”

Two nods are Amity’s cue to leave and she slips back out of the door, taking a deep breath once it shuts behind her. She’s so relieved that she doesn’t notice her siblings waiting for her until she opens her eyes and her heart skips a beat.

“Jeez, you scared the hell out of me!” she hisses, peeling herself off the back of the door.

“Sorry Amity, we just wanted to see if you were okay. We couldn’t hear anything, though,” Edric whispers, guiding Amity away with a hand on her back. “What did they say?”

She rubs her forehead. “They saw the video and I admitted that Luz and I are dating, and they’re oddly pleased about it.”

Emira furrows her brow. “That sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch.”

“They only like it because ‘having a daughter with a sexual orientation such as yours bears rather well for our family image’, not the fact that I’m, you know, genuinely happy for the first time since I was ten,” Amity scoffs, face pulled into a sneer. “They were most upset that I didn’t tell them sooner with the excuse ‘we’re your parents, after all’! Can you believe that?”

Her older sister tenderly lies a hand on her shoulder. “At least they technically approve of it, right? That’s much better than I was expecting and one of the best case scenarios for you two.”

Amity gives her a small smile. “Yeah, you’re right. Hey,” she turns to Emira, “do you think you should tell them you’re going to the dance with Viney? Dad asked if I was taking Luz and now he wants to meet her beforehand.”

“Wait, why does she have to tell them?” Edric asks, confused. “You’re taking Luz as a romantic date and…” Realization dawns upon his face. “You’re finally planning on asking Viney out!” he gasps, pointing at Emira.

His twin turns crimson. “I kind of had to enlist Mittens here to help,” she mumbles. “I still haven’t asked her yet.”

“Can’t blame you for needing help. Mittens has the most game out of any of us.” He winks, causing Amity to scrunch up her face and blush. “You’re two years younger than us, an introvert, and _still_ managed to get your first kiss and a relationship before either of us.”

“And your second kiss, and probably a whole lot more if I caught you two doing that while you were so sick,” Emira snickers.

Amity groans and buries her face in her hands. She’s never gonna let her live that down, is she?

~~~

“Mija! ¡Tu teléfono está sonando!”

Luz pauses her game and leans back in her desk chair. “¿Quién es?” she shouts.

There’s a brief moment of silence and then her mother calls back up to her. “¡Es Amity!”

The second she registers Amity’s name she bolts upright and dashes out of her room, stumbling down the stairs. Amity never calls her, save for a few rare exceptions. She always prefers to text, so whatever reason she’s calling for has to be important.

Luz catches herself before she slams her face in the wall, pushing herself away from the stairway. Her mom is holding her phone and Luz snatches it from her, mouthing a ‘thank you’.

“Hello?” she says, trying to mask how hard she’s breathing.

“Hey Luz,” Amity sighs. She sounds more tired than Luz has ever heard her.

Frowning, the shorter girl walks halfway up the stairs and sits down. “Is something wrong? You sound exhausted.”

“No, everything’s fine, it’s just…” she exhales and Luz imagines she’s probably running a hand through her hair on the other end of the line.”Is it alright if I come over? I have something that I’d like talk to you about in person.”

“Yeah, of course. You’re always welcome here.”

“Thanks, Luz.” Relief floods her voice. “See you in a bit.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

~~~

When the car pulls up to Luz’s house, Luz is indeed waiting. She waves from the front steps when Amity exits the vehicle and meets her halfway to the door, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

“Luz, why aren’t you wearing a jacket?” she asks when she’s pulled into a quick hug.

“Because it’s not that cold out,” Luz replies, as if the answer were obvious.

Amity flicks her forehead with her pointer finger. Luz makes a ‘weh’ sound squeezes her eyes shut at the sudden sting. “You’re literally shivering, dummy. Plus I can see your breath in the air. Come on, let’s go inside.”

“Alright,” Luz sings, grabbing her girlfriend by the hand and pulling her toward the house.

Inside, Luz’s mom greets her with a warm smile. “Hello, Amity,” she sets her book down, implying she’s about to start a mini conversation. “How are you?”

“Hi,” Amity says with a strained smile, fidgeting a little. She really doesn’t want to speak with anyone other than her girlfriend at the moment. “I’m doing alright, I suppose.” Remembering the conversation they had a couple weeks back, she bumps her elbow against Luz’s. When she doesn’t seem to respond, she does it again.

That does the trick and Luz immediately begins to lead Amity away. “We’re gonna go to my room, Mami.”

“I’ll come get you when it’s time for lunch. Have fun, girls,” Her mom calls out as she turns her attention back to her book.

Luz softly closes the door behind them when they enter her room. Amity takes a seat on the bed, back against the wall.

Amity gets on the bed and seats herself next to her, looking down at her hands. Their arms and legs are touching and she finds the small amount of contact comforting.

“What’s wrong, tecito? You don’t look well.”

She doesn’t reply right away. Luz reaches over to interlace their fingers, thumb running back and forth across the back of her hand.

“Can you come sit on my lap, please?” She turns to Luz with pleading eyes. “I want to feel your weight on top of me. I’ll tell you everything in a bit, I just need this for a moment.” Her voice is wavering.

Luz, probably seeing the desperation on her face, makes no hesitation climbing onto her lap. It calms her down a significant amount right away and she pulls Luz into her, fingers clutching the back of her shirt. The other girl’s arms wrap around her just a second later. They’re gentle but firm, as if telling her ‘everything is okay, I’m right here’.

Amity buries her face in the crook of Luz’s neck, inhaling her scent. It’s hard to describe but it’s warm and homey and just _Luz_.

A few minutes pass like that, the two girls holding each other. Amity finally finds herself calm enough to tell her what happened.

“My parents found out.”

She feels Luz’s arms loosen in surprise.

“They saw the video and I told them who you were and they were actually okay with it. Happy, even. For their own selfish reasons, but they gave their approval for me to keep seeing you.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” One of Luz’s thumbs is now rubbing her back. “Though I know something else about this is upsetting you.”

Amity lifts her head from its resting spot. “It’s good they’re letting us stay together, don’t get me wrong. It’s my parents being my parents that I don’t like. I’ve told you so little about them because they’re really not the nicest people, but my dad wants to meet you before the dance in two weeks.”

“He does?”

“Yeah. It’s absolutely so he can judge you in person. Both my parents are cold and only care about the family image, which is why they’re glad one of their children is a lesbian with a girlfriend. It makes them look good. They couldn’t care less that I found someone who makes me happy. They couldn’t care less about me in general.”

“Oh, Amity,” Luz leans back so they’re face to face. “I’m so sorry you have such awful parents. Even if they’re too blind to see what an amazing daughter they have, other people aren’t. Your brother and sister care about you, so does Willow. And,” she touches their foreheads together, “so do I.”

Amity stares into those deep, warm brown eyes and doesn’t realize she started crying until hands cup her cheeks as thumbs wipe the tears away. She puts her own hands on her partially outstretched arms and giggles softly. “You’re amazing, Luz.”

“Hey, I think you’re pretty amazing too, y’know.” Luz giggles as well. Her laugh is something akin to carnival music, fun and cheery. She tilts her head to the right, wordlessly asking Amity if what she wants to do is alright.

She answers by closing the distance between them, two pairs of lips meeting in the middle. Amity holds on for as long as she can before she needs to take a breath, going right back in for another kiss.

Luz seems to be on the same wavelength, as she does the exact same until they’re both too desperate for air to continue.

Amity untangles her fingers from her girlfriend’s hair as Luz sits upright, laughing. She runs a hand through those messy dark brown locks, her face flushed.

“Are you feeling better now?” she asks between pants, eyes twinkling.

“Maybe a little. Thanks for listening to me, Luz.”

Luz presses the tip of her nose against Amity’s. “That’s what girlfriends are for, conejita. I’m good for more than just kisses, you know.”

“I know you like them just as much as I do, though. Do you think we can go help make lunch? I want to do something with my surrogate mom since mine is such a pathetic excuse of a parent. I’m also hungry.”

Slipping off of the taller girl, Luz hops off of the bed and offers a hand out to Amity. She graciously accepts it, giving a curtsy when her feet meet the floor. “Thank you, m’lady.”

Luz replies with a bow and a brief kiss on her hand. “Anytime, mi amada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for freaking you all out at the end of last chapter when what happens next is so mild compared to literally every other fic with the parents finding out but I gave you some fluff after to balance it out so please forgive me
> 
> also, there was one very kind anonymous user that wanted to make fanart of this fic so if that was you (or you made some/want to) p l e a s e link it in the comments!!!!!!! I'd really like to see whatever you make


	23. Body Image

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nah this chapter is totally not me heavily self projecting my young teenage self onto amity haha nope don't know what you're talking about

Amity seems to be a bit out of it, at least to Luz. Extra distant, hard to catch her attention, and rather jumpy. Kind of like she had just woken up from a bad dream, except it lasts the entire day.

“Hey,” Luz says as she bends down in front of her girlfriend, forearms resting on her knees. The final bell had just rung, leaving them alone in the back of the locker room.

Amity looks startled for a moment. “Hey,” she says back with a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Is everything alright? You’ve been acting funny all day and I’m beginning to get worried.”

Blinking a few times, she pulls her arms closer to her chest and seems to shrink in on herself. “I… It’s nothing, really. Sorry for making you worry, Luz.” 

Luz offers a hand to help her stand upright. “You can always come to me if something is bothering you, you know that right? Doesn’t matter how small or dumb it may seem.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Luz.” She brushes hair back behind her ear, looking nervously to her side. “Um, I realized I have a lot of dresses at home that I rarely wear and since we’re about the same size I wanted to know if you want to borrow one for the dance? I don’t know if anything will be your style, but...”

Blushing, Luz nods her head enthusiastically. “Yes! Uh, that would be great. Yes.”

“Do you want to come to my place today then, since you seem so excited to try on my old clothes?” Amity asks with a giggle.

Luz pouts, cheeks turning even pinker. “Maybe. You were just as excited to try on my shirt with the cat eared hood, _nyamity_.”

Amity buries her face in her hands with a squeak. 

“Cats don’t squeak.”

Face red and a smile finally in her eyes, she pushes Luz’s shoulder, laughing. “Shut up, dork.”

Luz smirks and sticks out her tongue. “You know you love it though.”

“As a matter of fact, I don’t,” she huffs, crossing her arms. Her twinkling eyes betray her faked indignance.

Lifting her heels off the floor slightly, Luz uses Amity’s shoulder as balance to place a kiss on the side of her cheek. “Sure you don’t, lemon drop.”

“Ugh, whatever. Let’s go before my siblings think we stayed behind to make out or something.” She grabs Luz’s hand gently, a few of their fingers intertwining.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you have a lot of dresses,” Luz murmurs. Almost the entire top row of her closet is filled with dresses of varying color. And it isn’t a small closet either.

“Yeah, my parents drag me to social events a lot and they usually get a new dress for me for each one. Because apparently showing up to two high class events in the same outfit is ‘unacceptable’.” She rubs the back of her neck. “You can grab whatever you’d like to try on, I’m not very sentimental about any of these.”

Luz hums, flipping through hangers. “Have you decided on one to wear yet?” When Amity shakes her head, she grins. “Can I pick one for you?”

“I-I suppose,” she says, cheeks turning red. Luz giggles at her reaction and plucks out a frilly pale pink garment. “Fashion show time~”

Taking it gingerly, she shuffles in place, glancing between Luz and the door. “Um, I can go change in the bathroom-”

“No, stay here!” Clearing her throat, Luz averts her eyes away from Amity. ”I don’t want to make you walk all the way down the hall every time I make you try something on, so you can change in here. I won’t look, I promise.” Embarrassment is burning in her cheeks.

Amity nods shyly and Luz turns her attention back to the rack in front of her. The rusling of fabric and the sound of the zipper feel all too loud. _Your heart shouldn't be beating this fast, you fool! There’s nothing sexual about this. Your girlfriend is just changing in the same room as you. She’s probably done this with her sister many times before. This is normal this is normal this is n-_

“...Luz?”

“Y-yeah?” she stutters, her voice a little too high pitched. She mentally kicks herself. _Please tell me Amity didn’t notice that._

“This dress is from like three years ago so it’s way too small.”

Luz lets out a breath of relief. “Let me find another one then.” A few seconds later, she comes across something very familiar and a smile spreads across her face. “Okay, I know this is probably a little too fancy for a simple winter dance, but I wanna see you in this again.”

She holds the reddish pink dress Amity had worn to homecoming out to her side, shutting her eyes. She feels the weight of the fabric leave her hand as Amity takes it and then the weight is replaced with what she assumes is the pink dress she previously had. More rustling noises follow.

Amity grunts in frustration a few times and Luz has to fight the urge to turn around to help. She said she wouldn’t look, even if her girlfriends seems to be in distress. 

_Heh, dis_ dress _._

_..._

_Just put this back on the rack, Luz._

She can’t help herself anymore, it still sounds like Amity is struggling. “Do you need some help?” Luz calls out softly.

Behind her, Amity sighs in defeat. “Yes please. I can’t get the zipper up on my own.”

Turning around, she makes five steps to close the. She has to place one hand on Amity’s bare shoulder for support as she attempts to yank the zipper up. Her skin is burning to the touch. Or maybe it’s her own hand that’s burning.

Luz purses her lips when the zipper doesn’t seem to want to budge. It’s currently located a few inches above her waist, a rather significant amount left to go. With one strong tug to try and force it up, her fingers slip from the smooth metal and her knuckles brush against Amity’s back, all the way up until they bump against her head.

_Oh god, I didn’t even realize she isn’t wearing a bra under this. Makes sense because I didn’t wear one under mine, but oh my god. Oh my god. And technically she wasn’t wearing one when we went swimming or those times we had a sleepover and this shouldn’t be any different so why am I acting like this._

“Sorry, but, uh, I think you’ve outgrown this, Amity.”

She feels her shoulder tense up under her hand. “No, I couldn’t have. I wore this just a few months ago.”

“But you’ve grown since the-”

“Try it again!” Amity snaps. Then, softer, voice wavering, she says, “Please.”

Luz knows that trying again won’t change anything, but she sounds so desperate that she does as told. She lowers the metal a little to make sure it wasn’t stuck and raises it. As expected, it refuses to go any further than before.

“Amity,” she begins gently, “this dress doesn’t fit anymore.”

The taller girl is silent, hands grabbing at the skirt, knuckles turning white. “But it _has_ to,” she whispers, before crumpling into a pile on the ground. “It _has_ to!” she chokes out, moving her hands to grab fistfulls of hair.

The only things audible are sniffling as tears are attempted to be held back and shaky breaths.

She knew Amity was lying about there being nothing to worry about earlier. Kneeling down in front of her, she lays a hand on a knee, light as a feather. “Why does it have to?”

“Because, because…” A few tears drop onto the garment, leaving small circles of darker color behind. The next time she tries to open her mouth, all that comes out is a sob.

Luz moves to wrap her arms around her, making sure her grip is firm enough to ground Amity but soft enough to not feel like she’s trapped. She clutches onto her in return, burying her head in her shoulder and her hands clinging onto the back of her jacket.

She lets her cry, murmuring soft words of reassurance as she rubs her back. Slowly, the sobbing ceases and pulls away from Luz, rubbing her eyes. The dress, not held by the hook at the back of the neck, is beginning to slip down her arms.

Amity holds the fabric to her upper chest. “Sorry.”

“Hey, mi amada, there’s nothing to apologize for.” Luz cups one of her cheeks and wipes a stray tear away with a thumb. “What’s been bothering you?”

With a shaky breath, Amity presses her arms as far against her sides as they can go. “I’m scared, I think.”

“Of what?” Luz’s thumb strokes her cheekbone.

“Of growing up. Getting older.” She shuts her eyes and leans into the touch. “I’m not ready and it’s already happening.”

A soft kiss is placed onto Amity’s free cheek, tender and caring. “Let’s get you back into your clothes and then we can talk more, okay? You have got to be cold right now.”

“I am,” Amity half laughs. They stand up and Luz turns around while Amity slips back into the clothes she had been wearing all day, save for one part, which she tosses into her hamper. While Luz is putting the dress back in the closet--kind of pointless because it’s not like she can wear it anymore, she sits on her bed and blows her nose with a tissue.

A moment later Luz joins her. Amity scoots over so their outer thighs and arms are touching, and Luz gets the hint. She wraps her arms around her again, her girlfriend snuggling into the warmth.

After a minute or so of peaceful silence, Luz speaks. “What about growing up is scary to you?”

Biting the inside of her cheek, Amity buries her head further into Luz’s chest. “I don’t exactly know. Maybe it’s because I don’t know what direction my life is supposed to go in, or because my body is changing too fast for me to adjust to it.”

“We’re still high school freshmen, we have plenty of time to think about what we want to do for college and whatever comes after that.” Luz kisses the top of her head and Amity can feel a smile on her lips. “Puberty is a bit of a bitch, no one is ever ready for that.”

“You’re right,” Amity murmurs. “But my body is developing way too fast for my liking. I thought I was supposed to be done with puberty by now. But here I am, fifteen, and already outgrew a dress that fit me perfectly in September.”

Amity takes a deep breath. She can hear and feel Luz’s heartbeat below her, thumping along in a steady rhythm. “I could barely get it past my hips, let alone get it to zip up,” she says quietly.

Luz can’t deny that she’s noticed Amity’s feminine features becoming more prominent over the last few months. She never said anything about it, thinking it would be weird for her to point it out. Even if it did make her girlfriend look softer than ever and made her want to hold her close. Even if puberty is totally normal and every teenager has to go through it.

She knows, too, that eventually her own body will change more, and the thought is a little scary. Up until a couple years ago, the only way her body changed was by everything getting bigger at the same time. Not just her chest and hips.

“Do the clothes you have now fit you?” is what she ends up saying.

Amity stuffers a little, the tips of her ears turning red. “Um, not exactly. I was denying it for a long time, but I’ve definitely outgrown all of my bras and half my shirts. My pants and skirts are getting a little tight too. The tops and bottoms are easy enough to get more of, I just need to get a size up, but bras don’t quite work like that. ”

She pauses, taking a deep breath. “Going by myself is really scary, Emira had to literally drag me into the section and into a changing room the first and only time I went.”

“Can’t you ask her to take you again?”

“I could, but admitting to her that I need a bigger size is absolutely mortifying.”

“Hey, look at me,” Luz says gently. Amity does, embarrassment clearly written all over her face. Amber eyes tentatively meet her light brown ones. “She’s gone through the same exact thing, so there’s nothing you need to worry about. You have no need to be ashamed about your own body, okay? Everything you’re going through is totally natural.”

Gaze flitting away, she nods. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll ask her to take me shopping soon.”

Amity yelps as Luz changes her position and tugs her down on top of her, their torsos are flush and their noses a hair apart. One hand is on the small of her back, the other up by her shoulder blades. Luz blushes and tries to ignore the fact that she can so clearly feel that there’s nothing but just a shirt underneath Amity’s hoodie. She _did_ just say she outgrew all of hers upper undergarments, after all.

_Wearing something too small all day must’ve been really uncomfortable, no wonder she was out of it._

Chuckling, Luz boops their noses together. “Guess we get to go dress shopping together again. We can make sure our outfits match that way too, since we’re officially going as a couple this time.”

Amity blushes and giggles, breath warm on Luz’s face. “Instead of ‘just friends’ this time.” Her gaze softens. “Thanks for listening to me. It means a lot.”

“Hey, I told you earlier and just the other day that I always would, remember?”

“Maybe, but I still want to thank you. To let you know that I appreciate it. Unless you have a different way you’d like me to thank you.”

“Hmm, let’s see, what way would I like...” Luz asks with a smirk.

Amity smirks back, knowing exactly what she’s planning on doing.

Words aren’t needed as both girls move to each other, drawn together like magnets. Lips meet her own, soft and warm and only briefly. Luz pulls her back in for more and their lips meet again, a smile on both pairs.

“I wouldn’t mind being thanked like this more often,” Luz laughs between kisses.

“I’ll keep that in mind. You said you’re good for more than just kisses, but I really like them.”

With a giggle, Luz cuddles Amity closer. “That makes two of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the 12 day wait between chapters I've been working on chapter 2 of my idol au and oh boy that one takes a lot of energy. also I can be lazy at times. which is quite often really
> 
> two announcements!!!
> 
> first: this wonderful person made fanart of a scene from an early chapter and I almost cried https://www.instagram.com/p/CHuq5X9JX7i/
> 
> second: I decided to go ahead and make a little server for people who like my fics!! it's intended to be a little space to make friends and have fun and talk about toh and whatnot. the max number of users will be 12-15 give or take 
> 
> UPDATE: the server is at 15 members already so thank you so much to those of you that joined!!!
> 
> ALSO WHEN DID THIS FIC GET TO ALMOST 25K HITS AKLJSFGKAAKLDHFJJKJASH


	24. Emira is a Good Sister and Amity Still Uses Crayons

After Luz’s mom picks her up to take her home, Amity nervously paces outside Emira’s door. She knows she needs to talk to her about her… clothing situation sooner rather than later. Having her--or Edric--bring it up is going to be much more embarrassing.

Pulling together all her courage, she finally knocks and holds her breath.

Emira, seemingly aware it was Amity who knocked, opens the door after a couple seconds and smiles at her little sister. “Need something, Mittens?”

She feels herself shrink in on herself, awkwardly rubbing an arm. “Um, I need to talk to you about something. It’s kind of private, so...”

Without a word, Emira steps aside to let Amity come into her room. Gently shutting the door behind them, she gestures for her to sit on the bed.

“So, what’s the matter?”

Amity fiddles her thumbs, anxiety threatening to turn her mute. With a shaky breath, she pushes it down to get out what she needs to say. “Some of my clothes don’t fit me anymore, since I’ve grown since the beginning of high school. A lot of them, actually.”

She pauses, subconsciously moving her arms so they’re crossing her chest. “And, um, I haven’t just gotten taller.”

“Do you want to go after track tomorrow?”

The tension in her body melts when Emira doesn’t tease her or even sound like she finds her situation funny. That’s the part she was most worried about. “I’d rather go the day after, if that’s okay. Track stresses me out.”

Seeing the concern cross her older sister’s face, she scrambles to fix what she said. “We can talk about that later, though. That’s a less dire situation right now.”

“If you say so, Mittens,” Emira says gently, ruffling her hair. “Start going through all your clothes and make a pile of what doesn’t fit, okay? We can donate those to a thrift store or you can give some of it Luz and then we can start getting you stuff that fits.”

She makes a noise of agreement but makes no effort to move, remaining seated on the bed. She clearly has something else to say, something she’s hesitant about.

Emira knows better than to force Amity to talk but after a minute of silence between them, she takes it upon herself to find out what else is bothering her. Based on her body language, she has an idea of what it may be.

“I know you struggle with change sometimes, so how are you feeling?”

Amity’s voice wavers as she gives her answer. “Scared, overwhelmed, insecure. I knew this was going to happen one day but I had no way of preparing myself for it.” Her voice breaks and she rubs an eye with her sleeve. “It’s weird and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Pulling her into a hug, Emira slowly rubs her back. “It’s okay to feel like that. The body you’ve had your entire life changes in ways that are completely new and that’s hard for anyone to adjust to. Even I was scared when I was going through it.” She pulls her in a little closer, feeling Amity lean into her. “Puberty is completely natural. Every teenager goes through it so there’s no reason to feel ashamed, okay? You shouldn't feel insecure about your own body.”

Amity giggles weakly. “Luz said pretty much the same exact thing to me earlier. Like, almost those exact same phrases.”

“You chose a good one to fall for, Mittens.”

“Yeah, I really did.”

~~~

Luz drums her fingers along the floor, watching Amity draw flowers on a sheet of printer paper. It’s Friday afternoon, February 12th, and the dance is already tomorrow. Which means she has to meet the people that gave her girlfriend life and from what she’s been able to gather, they aren’t great people.

She understands why Amity so rarely talks about them, but it doesn’t help to ease the anxiety building inside of her. First impressions are usually… not her strong suit--she literally met Amity by running into her because she was distracted, and these people are just a tad bit more important than a fellow classmate.

“Hey, Amity?”

“Hmm?” Amity doesn’t look up from her drawing, hand moving to grab another crayon from the box next to her. Luz knows she’s listening though.

Her drumming stops, which causes Amity to pause and look at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Luz bites the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know if it’s okay for me to be asking this, but why do you always avoid talking about your parents? I know basically nothing about them and I’m supposed to meet them tomorrow and you know I _suck_ at making good first impressions and-”

A pair of arms wrapping around her body cut her mid sentence. She blinks a few times, realizing tears have begun to form at the corner of her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Amity says quietly, “I absolutely should have told you more. It was selfish of me to expect you to be okay with knowing so little when you deserve to know what they’re like before you meet them. They’re only concerned about the family image, not about what’s best for their own children, and I was embarrassed of that.”

Sniffing, Luz buries her head in the crook of her neck. “Are they really like that? You and the twins ended up so nice.”

“They’re awful. The twins ended up okay because they had each other and then were very protective of me ever since I was born.” She begins to gently stroke the back of Luz’s head. “You know why they were okay with me being gay and dating you? Just because it’s good for the family image. Not because it’s totally normal to be gay and not because I found someone that makes me happy.”

“Wait, I make you happy?” Her girlfriend pulls away from the hug, tilting her head.

“Yes, you moron. I thought that was obvious,” Amity giggles, pressing their foreheads together. 

Luz sticks out her tongue, a smile in her eyes. “Well excuse me for not wanting to assume things.”

Puffing up her cheeks, they hold gazes for a few seconds. “Hey Luz?”

“Yes, Amity?”

She quickly licks the tip of Luz’s nose and jumps on the bed before she processes what she just did.

Gasping, Luz touches her nose and crosses her eyes as she looks down. “Did you just _lick_ me?”

“Mm, I like to call that a puppy kiss,” Amity smirks.

“A puppy kiss, huh? Well then,” stands up, making grabby motions with her hands. “I must return the favor.”

Amity yelps and just barely manages to dodge Luz as she lunges for her, hopping off the bed and across the room. 

“Can’t run from me forever, Blight!” Luz calls out, making a beeline straight to her. Unluckily for her, her girlfriend grew up with siblings and knows how to dodge attacks. “Ugh, just lemme give you a kith!”

With a groan, Amity plops down on the bed. “Alright, fine, you can come and get your ’kith’.” She closes her eyes, preparing herself to be licked on the nose.

She hears the muffled thuds of footsteps walk up to her and Luz ever so slightly out of breath. Hands rest on her shoulders and she squeezes the mattress, but the lick never comes. Her eyes flutter open when a pair of warm lips make contact with her forehead. “Luz?” she murmurs, confused. “This isn’t a puppy kiss.”

“I know,” she mumbles. “But I wanted to give you a real kiss because I like you. Really, _really_ like you.” Her voice is quiet and thick with emotion.

Amity feels a blush rise to her cheeks. “I really, _really_ like you too, Luz.”

“But what if they don’t?” Luz whispers, almost too quiet to hear.

Biting her lip, she feels a twinge in her heart. Luz is a wonderful person, probably the best she’s ever met, and her conceited excuses of parents have no right making her feel like she’s not good enough.

“Look at me,” she says softly, cupping her face in her hands once she does so. “I couldn’t care less what they think of you because I’m the one dating you, not them. Or what they think of me, for that matter. They’re sucky parents and their validation isn’t something you need to strive for. The only thing that should matter is how we feel about each other and that feeling is mutual, okay?”

“Okay,” Luz says with a sniff. Tears are still running down her cheeks. 

Amity scoots back on the bed, beckoning for Luz to follow. “Come here, it’s your turn for comfort now. 

She chuckles weakly, crawling up to cuddle against Amity, who promptly embraces her and pulls her as close as possible. “Don’t worry too much about tomorrow. Viney will be there too, so it’s five against two.”

Nuzzling against Amity’s chest, she huffs. “I can’t believe Emira asked Viney out and didn’t let us spy on her as it happened when we literally set it up for her.”

“I know, the audacity,” Amity jokes as she runs her fingers through Luz’s thick hair. “She’s gonna pay back for that somehow, I’ll make sure of it.”

“Keep doing that, it feels nice,” she hums. “Tomorrow is the dance and we’re having a sleepover and then the day after is Valentine’s Day! Lucky me, I get you for almost the whole weekend.”

“I’m the lucky one, you dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> khgbdfaljs sorry about the long wait I moved back home for winter break, my family is stressful, and some personal stuff happened so my motivation to write was way down but a good chunk of that has been cleared up
> 
> the next two chapters should be a lot of fluff!! like a lot. a lot to make up for these last chapters where they keep having breakdowns because these poor girls need a break
> 
> I'm also working on a beta au! but with my own interpretation of them (influenced by frey who by the way better start reading my notes and also kale) so that'll come out eventually
> 
> sorry the chapter is a bit short i feel so bad when my idol au has two 6.6k word chapters


	25. Slow Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for something luz says at the end. kale if you're read this it's your fault.

Amity gives herself one more lookover in the mirror, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on the skirt of her dress. Luz is due to arrive any minute now and her parents are waiting for her to join them downstairs.

The dress she and Luz picked out together is incredibly cute and looks really nice on her, she will admit. It’s a purple 1950’s style swing dress, the skirt falling to just above the knees. A wide strip of fabric cinches in at the waist with four little heart shaped buttons, covered in the same material, running up the center.

The one and only part that she’s worried about is the v-line neck.

She’s worn things with necklines like this before. This one isn’t even the most extreme, sitting a comfortable distance up on her chest. 

But it hasn’t even been a week since she spoke with her sister, so she hasn’t quite gotten the hang of being confident. She hasn’t quite gotten used to how her body is yet.

One step at a time. And this step is this dress with this neckline.

“You ready?” a voice calls out from the doorway, startling her. It’s Emira.

“I kinda have to be,” Amity sighs. She turns to her sister, hands awkwardly fidgeting with her choker necklace. “What do you think?”

There’s no reply and Amity begins to second guess her outfit choice. Maybe she should’ve gone with one that had a crewline neck after all.

A high pitched squeal escapes Emira’s throat. “I think,” she walks up and rests her hands on her shoulders, “that my baby sister is finally all grown up. I can’t believe this day came so soon,” she sniffs.

“Em, we’re literally going to a semi formal high school dance. I don’t think this qualifies as me ‘all grown up’. Homecoming was a bigger deal.”

“Maybe, but you have a girlfriend now. Mittens’ first high school dance with a date!”

Amity pushes her away. “Okay, no more hugging because your makeup is going to dirty this.” Slinging her overnight bag over her shoulder, she places a hand on a hip and shoots her sibling a smug look. “Need I remind you that this is your first high school dance with a date as well?”

Emira sputters as Amity grabs a small box sitting on her desk. The mysterious object seems to snap Emira back into her composure, as a smirk spreads across her face.

“What’s in the box, Mittens? A little present for your date?”

Hesitating, Amity ultimately decides to show her what’s inside instead of putting the box away. “Kinda? I’m pretty sure this kind of thing is obligatory for school dances, but…” She lifts the lid to expose the contents.

“Are those…?” Emira starts, glancing up.

“Yeah. I wanted it to be able to be kept as a keepsake without them becoming brittle in a few days, so I made these,” she says shyly. “Is it too much?”

Emira makes a squealing noise again, daintily wiping her eye. “Not at all. You put special detail into the small things most people overlook, so I can see why Luz fell for you so hard.”

Feeling her cheeks begin to turn red, Amity is left flustered. “I-I don’t know if I would say that, necessarily.”

“That girl has had it bad for you since September and it’s absolutely because of your special Amity charm, dumbass.”

Downstairs, Edric is visibly relieved to see them join him. ‘What took you so long?’ he mouths.

‘It’s not important,” Amity mouths back. Luz isn’t here yet, which is both a relief and not a relief. She can at least set her bag down as she anxiously awaits her arrival, though.

The second it touches the ground, a shiver runs up her spine. “That dress looks wonderful on you, Amity,” her mother coos from over her shoulder. On instinct she stiffens but forces her body to relax as she stands back up.

Time to put on the mask she has to wear around her parents.

“Thank you, Mother.”

She tsks. “Hold your head up high, dear, and look me in the eye when speaking to me.”

Amity does as told, fists balling up at her sides. “Yes, Mother,” she replies as she smiles, holding back an irritated scream.

The doorbell ringing saves her from further conversation and she rushes to answer it. Cold air blows into the entryway as Luz and Viney quickly step inside.

“Ugh, I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this weather,” Luz mutters, peeling off her jacket and hanging it up. Her face lights up when she sees her girlfriend, pulling her into a hug. “Amity! I missed you,” she exclaims, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Amity’s mask slipped off the second she laid eyes on Luz and she has no urge to put it back on. She giggles, returning the gesture. A month ago such a public display of affection would embarrass her to no end, but her parents have seen a video of them kissing mouth to mouth. In a crowded public mall. “You literally saw me yesterday, Luz.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you.”

Her father clears his throat, signaling that their banter has gone on long enough. “Care to introduce us to your,” he pauses momentarily, as if catching himself from saying the wrong thing, “girlfriend, Amity?”

Slipping her hand in Luz’s, they turn to face her parents. “Uh, I’m Luz. Luz Noceda. It’s nice to meet you,” she says, offering her free hand.

He seems pleased with her greeting, shaking her hand. “It’s a relief that one of our children is successful in their romantic endeavors,” he says cooly, casting a sideways glance at the twins. “Even if it’s not quite what we were expecting.”

Amity growls lowly. She hates when her parents do this, when they use backhanded comments to bring someone down. Squeezing Luz’s hand in reassurance, she hopes she doesn’t take his words personally. She’ll have to make sure later.

“Actually,” Emira steps forward. “I-“

“Just a moment dear,” their mother cuts her off, taking a few brisk steps forward. She looks Luz over, seeming to scrutinize every feature. Finally, after what seems like an eternity to both, she smiles. “She’s much more attractive than I thought she would bet, now that I’m seeing her in person instead of a video with such horrendous quality. You chose well, Amity.”

Unsure of who is supposed to respond to that, they share confused glances.

“Anyways,” Emira says loudly, “as I was _trying_ to say, I have a girlfriend too.”

Her mother raises her eyebrows, turning her attention away from Luz, much to their relief. “You do?”

“Hi,” Viney waves a hand, “I’m Viney Griffin. And for the record, she only asked me out yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s right, you’re here as well,” Odalia says, clearly a little taken aback that neither of her daughters are heterosexual like she expected them to be. “I forgot. You look rather familiar though, have we met on a prior occasion?”

Viney hums as she thinks. “Once or twice, a while ago. At a birthday party or something.”

“Ah, I remember now.” Odalia’s demeanor shifts from confusion to arrogance. “You weren’t on the guest list.”

With both parents’ backs to her, Amity scowls and sticks her tongue out. Apparently the strictly enforced rule making good first impressions only applies to her and her siblings, not them when it’s someone they deem unworthy.

“Edric,” Alador interjects, “do you have anything you’d like to tell us about? A secret girlfriend, perhaps?”

He points a finger at himself, feigning surprise. “Who, me?”

His father sighs, rubbing his forehead. “Yes, you. I don’t recall there being another Edric here.”

“Nah, I don’t have one, you don’t gotta worry ‘bout lil ol’ me here,” he laughs, discreetly sending the four girls a wink. 

Amity knows he’s about to do something stupid. The wink is his warning for them to get ready.

Wordlessly, she hands Luz’s jacket to her, who takes it and slips it back on without question, albeit clearly confused.

“Mostly since I’m a homosexual like both of my wonderful sisters. You know what you should be asking instead? If I have a secret boyfriend. Because, you know, I like boys.”

He seems to be reveling under the incredulous glares he’s receiving from his birth givers. Before either get a chance to voice an opinion on the matter at hand, he decides to bring an end to his performance.

Oh, look at the time!” Edric looks at his watchless wrist, “we better get going or we’ll be late. Bye!”

He ushers everyone out the door and into the safety of the crisp winter night. Emira cackles, holding her sides. “My god, did you see the looks on their faces? ‘Surprise! All three of your children are gay!’”

Amity snickers, following Luz into Viney’s car. She puts her overnight bag in the back before she straps herself in.

“Hey, they were being rude to their children and their guests, I had to give them something else to focus on, and it also makes for a great coming out story,” Edric shrugs. “We can deal with whatever they have to say later.”

“Do you think they noticed you weren’t wearing a watch?” Luz tilts her head as she looks at Edric in the backseat.

He shrugs again. “Probably not, since they only pay attention to us when it benefits them. And tonight their attention was on you two because they knew y’all ain’t straight.”

Luz frowns. “That sounds really sad, but Amity wasn’t kidding when she said they were awful. So I’m sad you aren’t close to your parents but also not because if you were then you’d be just like them.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to think about being a mini version of either of them,” Emira chimes in from the front. “But this is why we’re so glad Amity has someone like you, Luz.”

“I- w-what?”

“Cut it out Em, you’re embarrassing the poor thing,” Viney lightly swats her arm. “She means that she’s happy Amity has someone she can be herself around who is also a wonderful person, basically. And you share mutual romantic feelings so she gets to experience her first, and maybe only, love with you as well.”

Luz’s and Amity’s faces are both bright shades of red. Edric looks between them and laughs. “You actually only made them more embarrassed, so good job there Viney,”

She glances in the rearview mirror and winces. “Whoops. Well, since this can’t make things any worse, how do you two feel knowing your lil sis has essentially found her soulmate already?”

“WELL, LET’S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE, SHALL WE?” Emira announces loudly, clapping her hands together. “Preferably not about those two because if they blush any harder they’re going to catch on fire.”

“Huh, guess it did make things worse. My bad.”

Thankfully, the rest of the ride to school contains zero teasing about the two freshman girls, but Amity discovers that giving Luz the thing she made is difficult with three extra pairs of eyes on her. Emira seems to notice and gets the other two to leave them in the car, Viney happy to entrust the car keys to Amity.

Unbuckling herself, she fumbles around with her bag until she pulls out the box containing her surprise. “Um, I know these are usually made with real flowers, but I wanted something that would last a bit longer, so…”

Luz gasps as Amity pulls out a snow white wrist corsage. Instead of a flower there’s a glittery plastic snowflake as the centerpiece, with ribbons and other sparkly embellishments on the sides.

“Oh Amity, it’s beautiful.” She cradles it in her hands, awestruck. “Did you make this?”

“I did,” her girlfriend admits. “It felt more meaningful that way. Is it alright if I, uh, put it on for you?”

Luz nods, eyes shining, and slips an arm out of her coat. Hands trembling slightly, Amity takes the corsage back and slips it onto Luz’s wrist. “I made myself a matching one, so-“

“Yes!” Luz cuts her off. “I mean, I would love to,” she says gently, a smile in her voice. “Sorry for interrupting you, I got a little excited.” She takes the matching bracelet and does the same to Amity, fingers lingering over her wrist for a few seconds too long, clearly wanting to be affectionate but hesitant to initiate.

Amity makes herself pull her arm back, knowing that if she doesn’t she wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to cuddle Luz in the car for the rest of the night. They walk hand in hand into the school, where it’s actually warm.

The number of students here is the first thing Amity notices. There are considerably less than at homecoming and a good majority of those who are in attendance appear to be couples. Judging on the students in line to check in, at least.

She’s been getting a bit better at handling crowds, but still finds it all a bit overwhelming and fidgets in place as she waits for Luz to join her.

Luz is currently checking in her winter coat, probably about three seconds away from being finished. 

Three seconds to get a proper look at her complete outfit, now that they aren’t under the judgmental eye of her parents or the dim lighting in the car. Also three seconds of a very cute distraction from the anxiety crawling up her spine.

Her dress is a deeper shade of purple, same length and similar style. The top is rather different, reminiscent of a dress shirt with the neckline and collar. But instead of a normal button down front, four white buttons, also heart shaped, run up from just above the satin bow at her waist to the tip of the neckline. Frills run down from the collar to waist, parallel to the buttons.

A thick purple headband holds her bangs back and, if Amity’s eyes aren’t deceiving her, she also has a bit of makeup on. Not a lot, just some around her eyes as well as lip gloss.

In shorter terms, Luz looks absolutely amazing. The purple is stunning against her skin tone and the outfit itself gives her a sense of youthful innocence—which she already has without it—that makes Amity’s heart flutter. Luz pretty. Dress pretty. Luz now extra pretty.

The product makes her lips glossy and look extra soft.

“See somethin’ you like, Blight?”

Amity was so caught up in how kissable she looks that failed to notice her walk right up to her. Blushing, she shyly meets her gentle gaze.

“I do.”

Luz blinks and opens her mouth a few times, flirty attitude not expecting such a straightforward reply. Talking advantage of her flustered state, Amity slips their hands together again and heads toward the field house. “I know you see something you like too, Noceda. C’mon.”

“How do you do that?” Luz squeaks out, cheeks red. She wasn’t wearing blush just ten seconds ago.

Genuinely confused, she tilts her head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

“How you go from seeming so sweet and pure to flirting with me like that! I just don’t understand! We haven’t even danced together yet and my heart is already nothing more than a puddle of mushy feelings.”

Oh. _Oh. That’s why she was that color._

“Uh, I guess I just really like you being flustered? It makes you look really cute. Not that you usually aren’t cute! Just like,” Amity taps her chin, “extra sprinkles on top of the cuteness sundae. I don’t even realize I’m being flirty half the time.”

“What kind of sprinkles?” 

She suppresses a giggle. Of course this is the part Luz decides to focus on. “As cheesy as it sounds, heart sprinkles. Rainbow ones probably.”

“Amity, Amity,” Luz nudges her, “you know I love cheesy.”

Amity stops and in a completely deadpan tone, replies. “No you don’t, you’re lactose intolerant.”

She feels her face break into a dopey grin as her girlfriend doubles over in laughter.

“OhmygodIloveyousomuchthatwasincredible,” she wheezes. “I don’t understand how no one snatched you away before I did because you are just. So gosh darn cute I can barely handle it. It’s an absolute miracle that I get you all for myself.”

“I could say the exact same for you, Luzura.”

Luz groans. “See, you just did it again! My poor kokoro cannot handle this. One of these days I’m going to die of a heart attack and you’ll be charged with first degree homicide.”

Playfully rolling her eyes, Amity squeezes her hand. “The authorities will just rule that as natural causes, you weeb. Hey, did you know they call this a dance because,” she pauses for dramatic effect, “people dance at these?”

Luz gasps loudly and raises a hand to her mouth in exaggerated shock. “Unbelievable. But, if that’s the case Miss Blight, may I have this dance?” She offers her free hand out, even though their other hands are currently intertwined.

“It would be my honor.” She switches sides so she’s now holding the hand that invited her. Luz excitedly pulls her through the hallway between the small gym and field house, weaving between clumps of people.

She stops in the first clear spot she finds in the back. Far enough from the stage to be distanced from the main crowd, but close enough to be separated from the scattered handful of people just sitting around. Almost the same spot Luz took her to before.

All too soon the DJ announces that the last song of the night is coming up nexts. He also adds in that it’s a slow song, because of course it is. With a huff Amity wipes some sweat off her forehead and pouts. Luz giggles at her, which only makes her pout deepen.

“I was having fun with you and I don’t want it to be over yet,” she huffs, crossing her arms.

Humming, Luz links her left hand into Amity’s right, pulling her close by the small of her back with her other. “Guess we have to make this last one extra good, don’t we?”

“Mmm, I suppose so. Show me what you got, Noceda,” she smirks.

The music begins and Luz takes the lead, even though they’re mostly just swaying side to side. Her arms end up laced behind Amity’s neck, the latter’s around her waist.

They dance together slowly, silent, simply enjoying each other’s presence. Until Luz removes her chin from its spot on her shoulder.

“Amity?”

“Hmm?” She looks down and sees Luz looking up at her, face dusted red and an incredibly soft look in her eyes. She feels a hand cup the side of her cheek, the touch feather light, points of contact setting her skin ablaze.

Her girlfriend opens her mouth to say something but closes it a second later, seemingly at a loss for words. She sees her gaze for a split second and next thing she knows, a pair of lips are pressed against hers.

It takes a moment to process what’s happening but when she finally does, her heart is just about ready to explode.

_Luz is kissing me. In public. On the mouth._

Amity tugs her as close as humanly possible, reciprocating the kiss. The fingers on her cheek gingerly trail back down to join the others behind her neck.

The only thing that exists right now is her and Luz and the tender kiss they’re sharing. No one was paying any attention to them before and even if the hundreds of people in the room were looking at them now, she couldn’t care less.

For the first time in her fifteen years of existence, her heart feels full.

As much as she hates to end it, they break apart after the song ends. “I think that qualifies as ‘extra good’.”

“I can’t believe I did that,” Luz murmurs, voice full of wonder. “I wanna do it again.”

“Me too,” Amity says quietly. She tucks a lock of hair that had fallen out of Luz’s headband behind her ear. “We can later, okay? At your house, for as long as you want, or until one of us falls asleep.”

“Poggers,” Luz smiles, leaning against her as they turn to meet up with the others. “I guess I can settle for that instead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> existence is pain and I hope this chapter is satisfactory I've been working way too hard on my chapters recently
> 
> EDIT: the one responsible for luz saying poggers drew some art for this go take a look [ here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOwlHouse/comments/kmc7ja/fanart_done_for_my_friends_fic_i_linked_it_in_the/)


	26. Thank You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unfortunately for all of you I am indeed alive and back at it again with another chapter of simh and it is almost 6 am and I have not slept yet because of manufactured chemicals I have to ingest before bed so I hope you all enjoy this chapter that I am too tired to proofread again
> 
> I'm also switching to the rich text option because I'm tired of manually having to enter the correct code for italics and such so if the formatting looks different that's why

The front door creaks open and the two teens enter the house, holding hands and giggling. Camila is waiting downstairs for them, reading a book that she puts down at their arrival.

“Did you have fun, girls?” She already knows the answer just from taking one look at their disheveled appearances, something she remembers from her school days all those years ago. Hair frizzy and out of place, eye makeup smudged, and lipgloss long gone.

Not to mention the way both girls’ eyes are shining or the soft glances they shoot at each other. 

Luz nods excitedly, hanging her coat up. “We did! Mami, look at this!” She runs up to her mom with a huge grin. “Amity made us matching corsage bracelets.” She proudly holds her wrist out, displaying the sparkly accessory.

Camila looks from the corsage over to her child’s girlfriend, who is also bearing an identical bracelet. “I see why you like her so much, mija,” she says warmly, giving her now embarrassed daughter and an equally embarrassed Amity a smile. “It’s beautiful. Since I was unable to get a photo of the two of you earlier, can I take one now? I’ll let you clean yourselves up after.”

“Ooh, a commemorative photo,” Luz squeals as she scampers back to Amity, who squeaks as she’s pulled in at the waist. “This is okay, right?” she whispers as her mom gets her phone out.

“Yeah, more than okay,” Amity responds, blushing bashfully. She slips her arm around Luz to mirror the pose, the skin beneath the fabric warm.

Camila definitely notices the sweet talk going on between them, but pretends she hears nothing.

  
  


Amity sits at the kitchen table, peering into a small mirror as she wipes the remnants of her makeup off. Luz is taking her shower now, leaving Amity to talk to her mom. Well, she doesn’t have to talk, per say, but she’s become more at ease around her presence lately, so the conversation flows much easier than it did back in August.

During a lull, Luz happens to poke her head out from the bathroom door. “Hey Amity, can you help me dry my hair?”

She looks at the older woman for approval—even though she knows she doesn’t need to ask for it. When she receives a nod and a knowing roll of the eyes, she scurries across the house.

The younger girl is sitting on the counter, happily swinging her feet. She beams once Amity enters and hops down. A few droplets of water are shaken loose from her hair at the movement, falling to the tiled floor below.

“I thought you learned how to dry your hair already?” She tilts her head to the side, confused once again.

“Oh, I do, but I liked it when you did it for me last time. You’re always super gentle. I also  _ maybe _ wanted you to play with my hair.” Luz glances to the side, cheeks pinkening.

Amity blushes, hard, and has to take a deep breath to stop herself from letting her emotions take control of her brain. Luz hands her the hair dryer and sits down on the wooden stool.

She switches it on, grateful that it’s impossible to speak over the noise--nothing but gibberish would come out if she tried to say words. Minutes later she’s running her fingers through Luz’s fluffy hair, knowing it’s fully dry but pretending to be checking.

As the dryer clicks off Luz slowly opens her eyes, suppressing a yawn and looking disappointed. “Done already?”

“I can make it up to you later, okay?” Amity chuckles as she presses a kiss onto her forehead. 

Luz hums happily. “Okay! I’ll go get my room ready so you can shower.”

The euphoria left over doesn’t wash away with the sweat and glitter down the drain, leaving Amity giddy even after she’s dressed and dried off. She buries her face into her damp towel, screaming silently as her knuckles turn white from how hard she’s gripping it.

_ Luz kissed me! On the mouth, in public, for the first time ever!  _

Suddenly there’s a knock at the door, followed by a sweet, singsongy voice.

“Amity, can I come in?”

She jumps slightly, as if she’s been caught doing something bad. Shaking a hand to get rid of the fright, she turns the knob. “Do you need something, Luz.”

The girl before her shuffles in place, fiddling with her fingers. “ Well, um, I was wondering if it was okay for me to dry your hair for you? You know, to repay the favor? If that’s alright with you, that is.”

Blinking a few times, her mind processes the request.

_ Luz? Drying  _ my _ hair? Running  _ her _ fingers through my hair? _

The soft, pleading puppy dog eyes Luz is currently giving Amity leave her physically unable to resist. Not that she would have said no anyways.

She just sits on the stool, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Luz’s fingers delicately running through her hair and along her scalp feel like absolute heaven. She gets why Luz was so sad when it was over.

  
  


The moment Amity spots the blanket nest spread out on the floor, she drops her overnight bag and flops down face first, exhaustion taking over her body. “My god I am so tired,” she mumbles into the thick comforter on top before having to push herself up for air.

Her girlfriend lies down beside her, spread out like a starfish with limbs overlapping hers. “I wanna sleep for like a month straight. Having hot chocolate before bed is a god tier idea because now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe I should do that more often,” she muses. “But then again, sugar before bed isn’t such a hot idea. Would sugar free hot chocolate even taste good?”

“I always feel warm and fuzzy inside when I’m with you,” Amity murmurs, unintentionally cutting into her outer monologue.

Luz’s head whips to face hers, cheeks bright red.

It takes a moment for her own words to hit her.

“Oh, oh my  _ god _ , that sounded so flirty and also like a really bad pickup line and I didn’t mean to interrupt you I-“

“Can I kiss you?”

Rambling dying on the tip of her tongue, Amity freezes. Usually when Luz asks to do this, she’s uncharacteristically shy and timid about it. But this time, she sounds determined and sure of herself. 

Like she did just a couple hours ago.

Her mouth opens and closes like a fish gasping for air (technically water), apparently completely losing her ability to speak. She doesn’t know why now, of all times, she’s beyond flustered.

Giving up trying to give permission verbally, Amity squeezes her eyes shut and hopes Luz gets the hint. Fabric rustles as she moves closer, followed by a pause where she can hear nothing but her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Then there’s warmth against her forehead. It’s soft and lingers a while, a wave of calm washing over her.

Eyes fluttering open as the contact disappears, she meets Luz’s gaze, heart still pounding and a little confused.

“You didn’t seem ready for it at the moment,” Luz explains, “so I went with a forehead kiss instead.” She rolls onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. “We did just get upstairs so there’s no need to rush, right?” she says with a soft chuckle. “Plus I didn’t specify  _ where _ I wanted to kiss, so I found a lil loophole that works in both other favors.”

Amity feels her heart swell with emotion at her words, eyes burning with the threat of tears. It’s such a small thing, such a small act of kindness that anyone who cares about her would do.

But Luz is the first person in recent years to treat her like this. To see her on a more intimate level, to know what she’s thinking and how she’s feeling without the need for words. Amity is essentially an open book to Luz.

Not even her siblings know her this well.

Amity surges forward and wraps her arms around her girlfriend, burying her head against her side. Luz wiggles an arm out from underneath Amity’s body and places it on her back, pulling her closer.

“You smell like lemon again.”

Tilting her head up she nearly bumps into Luz’s nose, faces inches apart.

“Why are you smelling my hair, weirdo?”

She just sticks her tongue out in reply. 

Amity cranes her neck up just enough for the tips of their noses to touch. “Thank you, Luz.”

“Huh?” Her brow furrows in confusion, those chocolate brown eyes of hers searching Amity’s own for an answer. “Thank you for what?” 

“For being so nice to me. For being you.”

Luz blushes deeply, gaze flitting to her and back as she nervously sputters something., and Amity can nearly feel the heat coming from her cheeks.

“I realize I’m incredibly lucky,” she continues, “to have someone like you in my life. I can’t put into words just how much you mean to me, but I can show you in other ways.”

The entire time she speaks, she doesn’t break eye contact with Luz. 

“For someone who says she’s bad with words, you sure know how to dish them out,” Luz squeaks. “And it’s not even Valentine’s Day yet! There is no way I’m going to survive the entire day tomorrow if you’re being this sappy right now.”

Shifting onto her side, she presses her forehead against Amity’s. “What do you mean by other ways? Are you offering to let me kiss you now?”

“I didn’t actually think that far ahead but since you brought it up, yes. Do it or I’ll, uh, change your contact in my phone to something dumb.”

“Wow, that’s such a bad threat, I’m so scared,” Luz says lightheartedly. “It’s a deal, but only after we get under the covers because they’re, ya know, supposed to  _ cover _ us. It’s cold in here and I’m a warm blooded little child.”

Amity does admit the attic room isn’t the ideal temperature so she slips underneath the thick layer of blankets, quickly enveloped by the warmth. Luz giggles and immediately pulls her close, planting a kiss by the corner of her mouth.

She pulls back, eyes lit up like fireworks just from the small amount of physical affection she was able to giver. “Sorry! I just couldn’t wait. You have a very kissable face.”

“Did you just try and woo me with saying I have a ‘very kissable face’?” Amity can’t help it; she bursts out laughing. “My god that’s the dorkiest thing you’ve ever said to me!”

Luz groans in embarrassment and (very gently) pinches the other girl’s cheek. “Stop laughing at me tecito, I was doing my best!” she exclaims, voice tinted with amusement.

Amity covers her pincers with a hand and shoots her a smirk. “You’re gonna have to find a way to make me stop.”

She just makes a strangled yelling noise into her pillow. “Gosh darnit Amity, let me be the smooth one for once! Let! Me! Kiss! You! And! Seem! Like! I’m! Cool!”

“I always think you’re cool though,” Amity says softly, fingers retreating back under the covers. The night was going so well, did she manage to mess it up somehow? She can’t tell if Luz is genuinely upset or not. “Sorry.”

“Wait, I’m not mad,” Luz says quickly, brushing her half brown, half mint green locks of hair off of her forehead. “Amity, look at me.”

Amber eyes very reluctantly meet hers, scared and vulnerable.

“I was just joking, okay? I actually really like how you can do a complete 180 like that, so please never feel bad for doing it. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Amity sighs and leans in to the soft kiss placed on her forehead. “I’m sorry for overreacting like that.”

“It’s okay, conejita, it’s been a long night for both of us,” she murmurs into her hair. Yawning, she returns to her pillow and smiles sleepy over at the taller girl. “Are kisses still on the table? I may be tired but you did say it’s an option until one of us falls asleep.”

“Only if you want them.”

“Trust me, I always do.”

She doesn’t know how long they lie there, sharing gentle kisses and being at peace in each other’s presence. At some point, in the dark of the room and the warmth of the embrace, she remembers telling Luz what exactly she meant when she thanked Luz for being herself. 

That she’s so kind and optimistic and has so much (admittedly misplaced) confidence, that she’s sweet and beyond understanding when Amity gets anxious over something, no matter how small. That the little things she does, like the cheek kiss earlier, probably seem unimportant to Luz herself but mean the world to Amity.

She also doesn’t know if Luz was asleep at this point, or if she was awake and listening to her words of love, the ones she’s never been able to say out loud before. One day she’ll be able to say these things directly to her, but for now, this is enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, in the time since the last chapter: *gets a girlfriend*  
> me:  
> me, who has been writing this romantic stuff for over three months by then: how do you handle having reciprocated feelings I am Dying
> 
> sorry for the wait my mental state is. a work in progress to say the least but I'm doing better, made a couple of really great friends in the last few months, reset my acnh account and got RAYMOND OF ALL VILLAGERS at my campsite (I wanted rosie) and have been vibing with that the last many days
> 
> uhhhhh what else am I supposed to put here OH YEAH THIS REACHED 37K HITS AND 1.5K KUDOS WHAT THE HECK I don't reply to many comments at all because Anxiety but I do read every single one and theyre very much appreciated


	27. Harold, They're Sapphic but They're Still at Luz's House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (half of) a valentine's chapter out by valentines day?? wild

Thirty seconds into Luz’s phone alarm going off, Amity has to wiggle her way out of Luz’s extremely warm arms to turn it off. She sits up, stretching, and glances down at her still peacefully sleeping girlfriend. 

Who happens to be too cute to bring herself to look away from, causing her to still be staring when she stirs, stretching her limbs like a cat in the sea of blankets.

“Good morning, gatito,” Amity says.

Blinking, confusion clouds Luz’s eyes until the words hit her. “Did you just call me ‘kitten’ in Spanish, you dork? I didn’t teach you that.”

“Perhaps I did,” she giggles, bending down to plant a kiss onto the shorter girl’s exposed cheek. “It’s time to get up though, your mom said she’d help us make pancakes.”

In a split second Luz is already up on her feet, brushing her bed head out of her eyes. “That’s right! Pancakes!”

“I’m a little hurt you’re more excited about the pancakes than getting to spend the day with me,” Amity pouts, clearly joking around.

The other girl tugs her up to her feet, tilting her head upwards to return a quick cheek kiss. “I am excited, but let me wake up and eat somethin’ first, ‘kay? Also I  _ may _ have a little surprise planned.”

With a groan she agrees. “Fine, I might be pretty hungry too.”

Luz giggles and grabs Amity’s hand, pulling her downstairs.

Ms. Noceda is already awake and seemingly waiting for the girls, greeting them as they come into view.

“Good morning, cariños. I take it you slept well?”

“¡Si, mami!” Dormimos muy bien,” her daughter replies enthusiastically, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The older woman chuckles at Amity’s confusion as Luz turns bright red, realizing her mistake. “She says you slept well. Luz has always had a tendency to speak Spanish when she gets excited about something. You should’ve seen her gush about you earlier in the school year.”

“Mom!”

Amity holds back a laugh, side glancing at her tomato of a girlfriend. That certainly seems like a very Luz thing to do. “You had it bad, huh?”

Luz somehow turns even redder, sputtering for a response. Finding one, she puts on a fake display of confidence. “That’s rich coming from the girl holding my hand just to walk downstairs.”

“Luz, you’re the one that grabbed my hand first.”

She blinks once, twice, three times and then buries her face into her free hand. “Ugh, you’re right! Okay, maybe I do have it bad, but so do you! You were watching me sle-“

The word dies in her mouth at the mortified glare her girlfriend is sending her.

“I, uh, mom, can we get started on those pancakes, do you think?” Luz laughs nervously as her mother tries her best to hide her amusement.

  
  


A short amount of time later there’s a stack of pink and red pancakes on the table, all (crudely) heart shaped for the occasion. (It’s not very easy to make a clean shape with pancake batter). They were Luz’s idea, that fun little surprise she mentioned to Amity.

The three are sitting around the table, about to start eating when Luz nudges the other girl’s arm.

When Amity turns to face her, she’s holding up a bit of the artificially dyed food on a fork, an innocent smile on her face.

“Luz,” she starts.

“Please? Just one bite?” Luz pleads, giving her puppy eyes.

“I- but your mom is watching!”

They both look to the older woman, who is mysteriously lost in thought while looking out of a nearby window. Amity sighs and gives in.

Luz beams when she leans forward with her eyes squeezed shut, biting the piece of buttery pancake off of the fork.

She swallows, embarrassed, and returns back to her previous position.

“How was it?”

“Good,” she admits. “Better than what my siblings try to make.”

Huffing with pride, Luz shoots her a pair of finger guns. “That’s because I helped make them.”

Camila snorts from across the table.

She flushes but otherwise ignores her mom, opening her mouth and pointing at it. “Gimme pancake.”

“Luz-“

“Please?” 

Amity can’t say no to those chocolatey puppy eyes, sighing and cutting a piece. Luz happily leans over and chomps it as if it were candy, licking her lips.

“You’re right, these are good,” she hums. “Don’t mine if I just…” she picks up a whole pancake on her fork and shoves it into her mouth, “djhwo didf.”

Rolling her eyes, Amity goes to start eating her own breakfast. 

They finish--Luz repeating the “whole pancake in one bite” thing several times and miraculously not choking--and the girls help clean up before being sent upstairs to change.

“Hey, I got a fun idea,” Luz says as she goes up the stairs two at a time. “We both change in my room but face opposite walls until we’re both done and bam! A big reveal.”

Amity giggles. “You’re really excited for our date, aren't you?”

At the top of the stairs Luz laces her fingers behind her back and spins around. “I’m finally going on a date with the one and only Amity Blight, of course I’m excited! Anyone lucky enough to be in my position would be. So of course we’re doing a little date outfit fashion show.”

“You’re such a dork,” she says before giving a quick peck on the cheek. “But I could say the same to you, I don’t understand how no one snatched you up first.”

Her girlfriend’s expression softens. “I think they knew a wonderful girl was waiting for me and that they didn’t stand a chance against her.”

  
  


Somehow, they end up coordinating matching outfits by complete coincidence. Luz is in a pair of denim overall shorts with heart buttons and heart patterned leggings, paired with a long sleeved pink top. 

Amity, on the other hand, has a dusty rose colored overall skirt, leggings, with a white and pink heart patterned shirt.

They burst into laughter upon seeing that they’re matching, Luz rushing forward to envelop her in a hug, gushing about how they share a brain cell. Amity returns it, leaning her cheek against her fluffy hair.

“Oh,” Amity pulls away from the warm embrace, “I have something for you.”

She rummages in her bag for a moment, returning with a small box in one hand, the other hidden behind her back. “Um, I don’t know if this is too little or maybe too much with the corsage bracelets from last night, but I made us some matching accessories and was hoping we could wear them today?”

The box is handed over along with two headbands. Her girlfriend is quiet when inspecting them, worrying her.

“I should have gotten you something else, shouldn’t I? I’m sorry, I-“

Luz looking up with tears in her eyes stops her mid sentence.

“They’re perfect,” she whispers, setting them safely aside to wrap her arms around Amity again. It’s gentle this time, like a warm summer breeze.

She doesn’t say anything else until Amity asks what’s wrong. 

“Nothing, just… can you hold me for a bit?” The smaller girl’s voice is thick with emotion, face nuzzled into the crook of her neck. 

Amity obliges, gently swaying them side to side as she strokes the back of Luz’s head.

A minute or so later she prys herself away, rubbing her eyes with a sleeve. “Anyways! Your gift,” she retrieves it from where it was set aside. “You really made these?”

“Y-yeah? I said I did?” Amity tilts her head to the side, brow furrowed in confusion.

“They’re super well made! Hold on, I’m just gonna…” Luz fumbles for a moment getting her pair of earrings out of the case and swapping them with her signature black studs. When they’re in, she strikes a pose. “How do I look?”

Amity smiles, amused. “Very cute. They suit you.”

“Oh course they do, you made them!” Luz quips. “Can I put yours in for you? I promise I’ll be careful.”

Blushing, she struggles to find words and ends up nodding in agreement.

Luz takes the small heart studs out of the case, removing the backing of one and leans in.

Amity squeezes her eyes shut at the ridiculously close proximity their faces are. Luz’s hands burn where they touch her ears and she can feel her breath graze her cheeks.

_ We’ve literally kissed before. Many times, and our faces were closer than this so why am I so flustered? I bet if I open my eyes I’ll realize I’m being dumb. _

She dares sneak a peek as Luz is busy with the one on her right and nearly blacks out from how adorable she looks.

_ Fuck. _

Eyes focused, cheeks rosy, tongue poked out to the side between her very kissable l-

“And done!” The warm presence backs away and that adorable face shifts to the center of her field of vision. “Wait, one more thing.”

The headband is carefully placed on her head. 

“There we go, fresita.” Luz admires her handiwork, a grin on her face. “Lemme find a mirror, I got one around here somewhere. You gotta see how cute you look in those.”

Seconds later she comes back with a purple handheld one, the back covered in stickers. She pops her own headband on and leans against Amity as she holds it out in front of them.

“Whaddya think? We look cute as heck, don’t we?”

The little pride flag colored hearts reflect the sunlight streaming through the window. The headbands don’t because they’re made of cloth, the same price colors running along them.

Amity’s mouth moves faster than her mind. “Wow, we look super gay.”

Luz bursts into laughter, doubling over. “You sounded so disappointed when you said that, Ams I can’t.” She stands up and kisses Amity’s cheek. “You’re so precious.”

While Amity is busy catching on fire, Luz leaves to grab a pink gift bag. “It’s nowhere near as fancy as your gift, but with how cuddly you are, I thought you’d like this.” She hands the bag out, nervously looking to the ground. “I couldn’t find an otter and this one was the next best thing, so…”

Inside the tissue paper is a hot pink dragon plushie with lime green accents. She gingerly takes it out, holding it in her hands.

“We don’t get to do sleepovers very often because of school so I thought you could cuddle this in place of me? I-”

She’s cut off by being nearly tackled to the ground in a hug. 

Amity squeals, squeezing Luz. “This is so thoughtful I don’t have any words so just give me your face.”

She lets go to cup her soft face, pressing a firm kiss directly onto Luz’s lips and taking the shorter girl by surprise.

Luz blinks when Amity pulls away after a few seconds. “I, um, wow. Do you think you could do that again? Like maybe a few more times?”

Amity smiles, already beginning to lean back in. “Only a few because we still have all day for more and I don’t want to spoil your appetite.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams* I never know what to say here so uhhhhhhh I like my gf. that is all. have a nice day everyone
> 
> moved back into my dorm today so expect more frequent chapters again!!!!
> 
> I ALMOST FORGOT THIS FIC REACHED 40K VIEWS WTF IM ASKHFDGJSDKLJHGDJFALDSGH


	28. Blue Raspberry

“Is the blindfold really necessary?”

Luz smirks (she assumes, she can’t exactly see at the moment) and snickers. “I wanted this to be a surprise and blindfolds are essential for surprises.”

“No they’re not-”

There's a jab in her side and she squeaks, jumping in her seat. “Okay, okay, it’s essential, but this probably looks extremely concerning for everyone else. A teenage girl blindfolded in a car?”

“I, uh, did not think of that part,” her girlfriend admits. The strip of fabric is untied and removed, the sudden sunlight against her closed eyelids jarring. “Just keep your eyes shut until I say to open them, okay?”

Amity gives a thumbs up with her left hand, reaching over with her right to grab Luz’s. It meets hers in the middle, intertwining their fingers. She must’ve smiled at the contact because she can hear Luz giggling.

“We’re just about there, girls,” Camila announces from the front, pretending to pay no attention to their cute little antics. 

Luz squeals and the hand around hers tightens in excitement. “Oh, this is gonna be  _ so _ much fun. You’re gonna love it.”

While Amity trusts her, she’s anxious because she  _ doesn't  _ know where exactly they’re going. What if it’s somewhere that’s out of her comfort zone? She has no way of knowing until they’re already there.

But this is Luz, she knows Amity’s limits and is always super conscious and careful while doing things with her. Even last night, at the dance, she made sure to pick a spot in the back. It doesn’t make the anxiety go away, but it does ease her mind a little.

Turns out she didn’t need to worry, because Luz decided that the location for their first date would be the ice skating rink that’s attached to the arcade they went to in the fall.

Their ride bids them farewell and leaves while the younger girl excitedly pulls her inside. The air in the rink is cooler than the arcade half and has what can only be described as an icy smell to it, though it’s a touch warmer than outside. It also smells the slightest bit like sweat, but that doesn’t bother her too much.

Luz pays for their admission and skates, insisting that she has to because it’s a date. Those words make Amity’s heart flutter and she blushes, looking away from the exhausted looking teenager they’re talking to. He hands them their skate time bracelets before going to search for their skates.

“Have you ever been here before?” Luz asks as she puts the pink slip snugly around Amity’s wrist.

She nods. “A few times, yeah. I actually took lessons for a while until my parents decided it was too much of a hassle.”

“That doesn’t sound fair,” is the reply, accompanied with an adorable pout.

Amity shrugs. “I cried one too many times while trying and failing to learn certain moves. One of the teachers I had would get mad at me and it was too overwhelming.”

She straightens up, holds her head up high, and in a pompous voice, mimics her mom, “Blights do not cry in such an ugly manner in public and if you cannot get your emotions under control, you will no longer be able to partake in this activity. It is too embarrassing for the rest of the family.”

Just then the teenager comes back with two pairs of beat up looking ice skates, setting them on the counter. The girls grab them and head off to a table to change.

“Did your mom really say that?” Luz asks gently, burrow furrowed with concern.

“Something along those lines, yeah. But this was in like, fourth grade or so, so it was a while ago. It’s fine.” She begins to take off her shoes but pauses when a warm hand rests on her shoulder.

Luz doesn’t have to say anything, the look on her face speaking louder than words. She presses a soft kiss on her flushed cheek and holds her gaze a moment longer before turning to work on getting herself ready to skate.

By the time Amity is ready, her fingers burn from how tightly she had to tie the laces on her shoes. She stands up, arms out for balance as she adjusts to being several inches higher than usual and all her weight on two metal blades. 

Her girlfriend pops up beside her, grabbing their bags and shoes and hobbling over to the lockers. “Just to be safe,” she says.

Items safely put away, they finally make their way to the rink, slowly getting on the ice one at a time. It takes all of five seconds for Amity to become used to being on the ice again, not needing to hold the side railing for balance.

Luz, however, does. 

Giggling, she grabs her left hand and holds it, gently tugging her away from the wall. Luz squeaks and lurches forward, clearly terrified of falling.

“You’re too tense,” Amity says as Luz is clinging onto her (not that she minds in the slightest). “Maybe this will help.”

She turns crimson as a brief kiss is placed on her cheek, but Amity can feel her grip relaxing.

“Okay, I absolutely hate you for doing that with no warning when I could fall literally any second but it worked so I can’t be mad.” Straightening herself up, the girl reduces her hold on Amity to just their hands, tentatively trying to get herself to move forward on the ice.

It takes a minute or two, but Luz eventually gets the hang of it, speed and confidence picking up with every lap they make. Quite a few of the other skaters are couples, so Amity is glad they blend in; she’s been worried about this day ever since plans were made. 

Cheery pop music plays on the speakers, still audible even over the sharp sound of blades against ice and constant chatter among the patrons. When she glances over, her girlfriend is bobbing her head to the beat, mouthing the lyrics. Her cheeks, ears, and tip of her nose are flushed from the cold.

The clock says they’ve been skating in ovals for longer than she realized, and the back of her throat itches, asking for water. 

“Wanna take a break?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” is the reply as she doesn’t hesitate at all to step out of the rink and back onto non frozen ground.

Luz’s fingers are spanned out as she turns around, walking right up in front of Amity. “You know, I'm jealous that you’re taller than me even when we’re both in skates.”

Amity flushes and leans back a little, their faces awfully close together for being out in a public place. Luz leans in more, a mischievous grin spreading across her lips. 

“How are you going to make that up to me, Amity?” she asks slyly.

“I, uh, I dunno,” she sputters, clinging onto the outside railing of the rink. 

Luz hums and shakes her head. “Wrong answer,” she says while wagging a finger. “Here, I can give you a hint.”

She taps her cheek twice before lacing her fingers behind her back and waiting. 

Oh.  _ Oh. _

“Y-you want me to kiss you on the cheek?” Amity whispers, face heating up.

“Mhm!” Luz hums happily.

Nervously licking her lips, Amity quickly glances around her to see if anyone is watching. No one seems to be staring directly at them, so she gulps and leans forward, pressing a kiss onto the side of Luz’s slightly cold face.

She did give one to Luz earlier in the rink, but that was nearly an hour ago. Which doesn’t explain why she’s so unbelievably nervous right now, heart feeling like it’s about to jump out of her chest.

Her girlfriend seems pleased with the act of affection until she notices her uncomfortable fidgeting.

“Amity?” she says gently, taking hold of one of her hands. “Was that too much for you? You could’ve refused if you didn’t want to do it.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s just… I’ve been so anxious lately and I don’t know why. Like everyone is staring at me and judging me and I just-“

Taking a deep breath, she runs her free hand through her hair, thankful she wore it down today. “It gets overwhelming sometimes.”

Luz is quiet, gently squeezing her hand while running her thumb along it. Her lips are pursed as she looks worriedly at Amity, thinking about what to do.

“Wanna get some slushies and see how you feel after that?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” she says with a smile. “But I’m paying this time.”

  
  


The blue raspberry slushie does help a bit, along with being in the small dining area that skates are allowed in, isolated from everyone else. Luz swings her legs underneath the table, sipping on her own drink.

“Can I taste yours?”

Amity blinks, looking down at her cup and then at Luz’s. “We have the same flavor- you know what, knock yourself out.”

Grinning, she happily takes the slushie and takes a long sip, smacking her lips when finished. “Hmm, yeah, it tastes exactly the same. But I think I like this one better because it’s yours. Here,” she slides hers across the table, “have mine instead.”

With a playful roll of her eyes Amity plays along with Luz’s little game, absentmindedly taking a sip. 

_ Wait, she drank from this straw, so does that mean _ -

Turning just as red as a cherry, she puts her head in her hands. “Luz, we just shared two indirect kisses.”

The slurping across her stops abruptly. “I… honestly didn’t think about that. Oh my god, we really did.”

Suddenly she starts snickering, quickly turning into full blown laughter. “We’ve kissed on the lips many times before, so why do we find this so embarrassing?”

Her infectious laugh spreads to Amity. “I don’t know,” she wheezes.

“Christ, we’re so dumb,” Luz says between laughs. She tries to calm herself by taking another sip of the sugary, artificially flavored drink, but nearly chokes when Amity accidentally lets out an adorable little snort. 

“Okay,” she declares, standing up. “I don’t think I can finish any more of this without actually choking.” Looking at the cup she reconsiders. “Wait, no, there’s only a little left so I totally can.”

Within seconds she finishes it off and tosses the empty cup into the trash, hopping back up on the stool. “We can go back out whenever you’re done,” Luz says sweetly, hand propping her chin up. 

“Your tongue is bright blue,” Amity comments as she panics a little under her gaze.

_ Stop looking directly at me it makes me wanna kiss you so bad- _

“Which means yours is too, Blight.”

With a huff she gets off the stool. “Shut up,” she mutters, quickly throwing out her cup and grabbing Luz by the hand. “Let’s get back to watching you fall every five seconds.”

“Hey, I’ve only fallen four times!” Luz protests, though eagerly following her out the door. “Next date we’re going to a roller rink so you can’t make so much fun of me.”

Amity stops and turns to face her, eyes wide. “Did you just ask me out on another date?”

Stammering for a moment, Luz decides to roll with her words. “Yeah, yeah I did. Though the time and date are still to be determined,” she says with a false air of confidence.

Which Amity easily shatters with a quick, unexpected peck on the mouth. “It’s a date then, Luzura, but let’s focus on this one for now. We don’t have a whole lot longer left to skate.”

Luz can only nod as she gingerly places her fingers on her still tingling lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am struggling so much so I'm back at it again with writing to to distract myself from and cope with my emotional and physical pain and as I'm writing this what I am positive is a stomach ulcer (again) is keeping me awake at 1:30 am I want to scream but that would just make things worse
> 
> also it's embarrassing writing this stuff when you have a girlfriend because you can't help but imagine doing all this stuff with her and it makes you just go akuhsdfsjalshkjflahkjhd inside help I'm too gay for my own good
> 
> also also I love receiving comments and read every single one of them and they make my day so much better
> 
> now if this hole in my stomach lining would close that'd be great

**Author's Note:**

> to explain the title: luz is clumsy. luz is a dork. luz can be dumb. amity loves that about her. I also get stuck titling things. I'm also pretty bad at talking to people. but my twitter is @amitylovemail I mostly just scream about amity being a canon lesbian and I also have a reddit that I may share later


End file.
